Beauty and the Beast
by MarinaMontenegro
Summary: When her friend is imprisoned by the evil, terrifying Slade, Raven makes a deal: "Take me instead." It's only a matter of time before she begins to learn who Slade really is behind the mask.
1. Prologue

**Beauty and the Beast  
A Teen Titans Fanfiction**

Written by: Marina Montenegro  
Edited by: Nick Candido

Based on DC Comics Characters  
and Disney's _Beauty and the Beast_

* * *

North of Jump City, a dense forest stood. The location was a favorite spot of local hunters, hikers, and camping groups. Only one narrow road cut through the trees, leaving an abundance of wilderness for anyone trying to escape the city life. Despite many, many attempts by local scouting groups, much of the forest remained unmapped. Off to the west, a large mountain was often visible above the trees. At its base stood an overgrown and forgotten mansion. Few travelers have ventured far enough to find the mansion, and those who did stumble across it never returned.

A large iron fence surrounded the property, gated with a heavy lock. A stone path, cracked by overgrown weeds, led up to the worn front steps and oak doorway. Two brass handles emerged, one from each large door, and a matching dusty knocker hung.

Inside the house, heavy drapes covered the large windows, ensuring the room was never well lit. Handmade mashad rugs were placed over the hardwood floors. The halls were decorated with original paintings and mosaics. On the second floor, the fireplace hissed, illuminating the small room. Bookcases lined the walls and at the center of the room stood a large oak desk. It's surface was cluttered with papers and notes, as well as various newspapers all headlining the feats of the Teen Titans.

At the desk was a leather armchair where the master of the house sat, holding the most recent edition of the Jump City Daily News. The headline read: "Local Heroes Save Tokyo". The picture below the headline featured the mayor of Tokyo, a beefy man with graying hair and thick glasses. He posed beside five young heroes, each wearing a gold medal around their neck. Raven, the gloomy sorceress, stood on the right. Her cape was wrapped around her, but her hood was tucked back to reveal her pale face and short blue hair. Beside her, Starfire was smiled directly at the camera. Her long hair was swept behind her shoulders, and her attire was, as always, traditional Tamaranean clothing. Her arm was wrapped carefully around Robin's gloved hand. The Boy Wonder, Gotham and Jump City's favorite hero, was looking up at Starfire through his mask. The pair was the talk of the town lately. You couldn't turn on the TV without a talk show gossiping about Robin and the alien princess being seen sharing a pizza, or holding hands in a park. Next to happy couple, Cyborg towered over the group. A metal arm was raised, waving to the crowd. The final, and shortest team member, was on the left: Beast Boy the green shapeshifter standing proudly, hands on his hips.

Gloved hands clenched the newspaper, crumpling it into a ball. The man rose, stepping carefully around the desk to the seating area in front of it. The desk was pressed against the back of a vintage blue sofa that faced the fireplace. He tossed the newspaper into the flames with a frustrated grunt.

The door behind the desk creaked open, and an older man stepped in. "Is everything alright, sir?"

"Fine," he replied. "A drink, please, Wintergreen."

The older man, Wintergreen, stepped into the study, moving towards the bar cart to the right of the fireplace. He poured scotch into a glass, and brought the glass to where Slade sat on the sofa. Like Robin, Slade never removed his uniform. His mask, his suit - they are a part of who he is. His face hadn't been seen in over a decade now, not even by the trusted Wintergreen. The mask was split down the center, with the left side orange and the right side black and featureless.

"What is troubling you tonight, sir?" Wintergreen asked.

"You already know." Slade took the scotch from Wintergreen. He leaned forward, towards the fire, with his elbows resting on his knees.

"May I speak freely, sir?" Wintergreen asked. He leaned forward, placing a coaster onto the coffee table. Slade only gave a slight nod in reply. "Perhaps, it is time to leave the Titans alone. With all due respect, you aren't getting any younger."

"I know," Slade replied. "I'm getting old. That is why I need the Titans gone. That is why I need an apprentice."

"Sir-"

"There is work to be done. Someone needs to continue it for me when I no longer can." Slade downed the scotch in one gulp, placing the empty glass directly onto the table.

"You can find an apprentice elsewhere."

Slade shook his head. "I need someone on the inside. Terra was perfect. She gained their trust. We had everything. If she hadn't -" Slade clenched his fist.

"Sir, they will not agree to work with you." Wintergreen said carefully.

"I know," Slade replied. "That's why I won't give him a choice."

* * *

 _ **Beauty and the Beast: A Teen Titans Fanfiction  
**_ **August 2017**


	2. Bonjour

The sun had barely finished rising over Jump City when Raven slipped out of bed. From her window, she could see the pink-gray morning light reflecting off the shiny skyscrapers. Raven rushed through her morning routine, skipped breakfast entirely, and pulled her cape on to head out the door.

From the top of Titan's Tower, the young sorceress looked over the water, towards the city skyline. She had a book tucked under her arm. Her short blue hair blew in the breeze. Raven took off, flying over the body of water and landing gracefully on the shore of Jump City. The city was quiet, still waiting for its citizens to wake up. Just as the shops and vendors began to open, Raven lowered her hood and took in a deep breath of the autumn air. She took her time strolling down the boardwalk. By the time she had reached the city streets, they were exploding with life. Cars and buses sped past, horns blaring, and the sidewalks were flooded with people eager to start their routines. Hurrying to work or school, most people were preoccupied with their own provincial lives.

At the corner of the street, a police officer tipped his hat. "Good morning, Raven. What brings you to the city? No trouble, I hope." The officer was a short, tanned man with thick dark curls and a thin mustache. Raven was familiar with most of the officers in town, and of course, all the officers knew her.

"The library," Raven replied. She held up the book that she had concealed under the cloak.

"Oh? You like reading?" the officer asked.

Raven nodded. "I just finished a series about a pirate who-" Raven stopped. The officer was looking up the street, and it became clear he was no longer listening. _Whatever_ , Raven thought. She turned away from the cop and continued her walk.

She walked past a young mother, a tall blonde woman with her cell phone pressed to her ear and her toddler son, barely three years old, in her arms. The toddler was covered by an oversized baseball cap, and he was waving a toy car around in the air before he stopped to point straight at Raven: "Look, mama, there is one of the Titans!" the boy was saying. He had a wide grin on his face.

"Oh hold on," the mother said into the phone on her ear. She looked at where her son had pointed and instantly pushed his arm down. "Don't point, Henry," the mother said. She looked nervously at Raven before adding in a hushed tone: "That girl is strange."

Raven ignored the mother and continued walking. The library was not far from the boardwalk, but already, Raven regretted not flying directly to its door. Better yet, she could have teleported straight inside. At this point, it felt like she should be used to hearing things like that. Whenever she went out alone, those comments followed her through the city:

"She's the witch - can't you tell?"

"Where's the team? They shouldn't let their half demon wander alone…"

"There's no denying she's a creepy girl."

Raven sighed, finally turning into the library at the corner. Stepping off the swarming, sunny street and into the silent, shadowy library was always a relief. At the front desk was a young man in his mid-twenties. His short brown curls fell slightly into his eyes, and his square frame leaned over the counter. In his hands, he held a copy of _The Soul Thief_ by Cecilia Holland. Raven recognized the book immediately. At the sound of the door closing, Lucas looked up from the novel.

"Raven! You're back already." Lucas tucked a bookmark into the page and straightened up. Raven was already browsing the shelves on her own, but she turned around to see him smiling.

"I read fast," Raven replied. "How is _The Soul Thief_?"

"It's _almost_ as good as you swore it would be," Lucas replied. Raven felt her cheeks turning pink and she turned away from the counter. Lucas made his way over to where she was browsing and leaned against the shelves. "Are ya looking for anything specific?"

"Have you got anything new?" Raven asked, barely glancing at him before she returned to studying the titles engraved into the bindings.

Lucas laughed. "No, not since last week. Come here though." He made his way back towards the desk and began searching behind it. "I have a recommendation for you."

Raven walked slowly over to the counter, hesitant to accept. "What is it?" "

"The life of Cleopatra. The store doesn't have it in stock but…" Lucas reached under the desk and pulled out a thick book. "This is my personal copy."

He held the book out to Raven who stared at it blankly. "I can buy my own copy."

"What if you hate it? Just borrow mine," Lucas said. When Raven didn't move, he laughed. "You read so fast, I'm sure you'll have it back to me in no time."

Raven took the book from him, flipping through the pages as Lucas watched her. "Alright," she agreed. "I'll bring it back to you sometime next week?"

"There's no rush. Text me when you get up to exciting parts though. I want to hear your thoughts on them. It's actually my favorite book," Lucas said. "And she - Cleopatra - sort of reminds me of you."

Raven shut the book, looking up. "Why?"

"Well, she was a Greek ruler of Egypt. Intelligent. Strong. Beautiful." Lucas flipped back to his page in _The Soul Thief_. "Anyway, I'm reading your favorite book. I think it's fair you read mine."

Raven's cheeks felt warm. "Thank you," Raven said, finally. She placed the book she was returning on the counter and tucked _Cleopatra_ under her arm. Lucas watched as she left the library before turning back to his own book.

Outside, Raven closed the door behind her. The city had settled into its morning stride with the morning commute coming to an end. Almost as soon as Raven began walking, she could hear the comments of the people passing her in the street.

"Look, there's that Titan that always looks so peculiar."

Using her magic, she slipped on her hood and kept her head down. She hurried through the streets weaving in and out of the crowds before finally ducking into a nearby park. The tall stone fence surrounding the park blocked out the busy city cacophony. Inside the enclosure, the only distractions were the constant dribbling of a game of basketball and the barking battle over territory between two dogs. Irritated, Raven plopped down on a bench under the shade of a tree. The fountain near her was trickling, and the splashing was enough to buffer the noise as she read.

Raven began with the back cover. It was exactly what she had expected: a far off land, romances with Rome's most powerful men, and the power struggle of warring kingdoms. She had to give Lucas credit; the book sounded amazing.

Before she could open to the first page, a small green sparrow landed inches from Raven's feet. It's tiny black eyes looked at Raven, and it turned it's head to the side.

"What are you doing here, Beast Boy?" Raven asked, glancing up from the book.

Where the bird had been, a small green man now sat cross legged. His pointed fangs were showing as he grinned at Raven. "I was wondering what you were doing today. You left so early."

"So - you followed me?" Raven asked. She raised her eyebrows at him.

"You sound mad…" Beast Boy replied. He leaned forward, taking the book from her hands and flipping through it. "How do you read this? There's no pictures!"

"I use my imagination," Raven replied. "Give it back."

"Raven, why don't we do something more fun?" Beast Boy announced, gently tossing the book aside. "You're always reading."

"I like reading," Raven replied, summoning the book back into her hands.

"Why? There's too much thinking involved," Beast Boy argued.

"You sound like a complete imbecile." Raven said, using her cloak to brush some dirt off the book.

"Uhhh, thanks," Beast Boy said. He scooted closer to Raven. "So... how about we go for a walk together? We can go to the arcade - I've got the high score on Mega Monkeys 4."

His eyes were wide and hopeful, but his smile quickly fell once he noticed Raven silently glaring at him.

"I know, I know," Beast Boy said quickly. "It's not your type of thing - but it's not like we can go to the library together."

"Why not?" Raven asked.

"Cause there's nothing to do there," Beast Boy said as if it were obvious.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Maybe another day, Beast Boy."

"Oh, come on," Beast Boy said. He took her arm, attempting to pull her up. Raven immediately shook him off.

"I said no," Raven replied, standing up on her own. There was no use in trying to read the book if Beast Boy was going to continue to badger her about the arcade. "We should probably get back to the tower anyway."

Without waiting for a reply, Raven teleported herself out of the park and landed on the roof of Titan's Tower, abandoning Beast Boy in the city. Finally, alone with the new book, Raven sat down to read.


	3. No Matter What

The Titans's garage was safely tucked under the main floor of the tower. The room was home to the famous pair of vehicles: the T-Car, a Cyborg-designed sports car pinstriped with transparent blue panels that illuminated the sides, and R-Cycle, a red and black motorbike featuring the same R that Robin displays on his uniform. While the left wall was covered by shelves, forgotten boxes, with posters of cars strewn about, on the right wall dangled Cyborg's tools and car parts. Normally, the space was spotless. Cyborg wiped the grease and oils off his work table every day. His tools would hang on the wall in organized patterns. Even the drawers under his work table were usually sorted. Today, however, tools were sprawled across the counter and floor: a total mess. The front of the T-Car was suspended in the air over a floor jack, and Cyborg's white metal boots stuck out from under the body of the car.

"What are you working on?" Raven asked. Cyborg rolled out from under the car to find her sitting on his work counter, sorting his tools back into place with her magic.

"Hey now- I'm using those!" Cyborg called.

"You're not using them right now," Raven replied. "Tell me which one you need and I'll pass it to you."

Cyborg rolled back under the car. "Ya better be putting them back where they go."

"So - what are you working on?" Raven asked again.

"A turbo upgrade." Cyborg replied. "Pass me the screwdriver."

"Phillips or flats?"

"Flat," Cyborg replied. The screwdriver floated under the car towards him. "How was the library?"

"Fine," Raven replied. "I got a new book."

"Yeah? Did _Lucas_ help you pick it out?" Cyborg teased.

"Actually - it's his personal copy," Raven replied. As an empath, she felt his shift of emotions. His playful teasing aura quickly dissolved. "What's wrong?" Raven asked.

"I just… I worry, Rae," Cyborg said. "It's just that last time a mysterious guy was leaving you presents, he turned out to be a dragon…"

"This isn't a talking book. It's a normal, historical novel given to me by a guy who seems to be normal too," Raven replied. "Lucas is… nice. And he doesn't think that I'm weird or boring."

"You're a Teen Titan," Cyborg replied. "How could anyone find you boring? Gearwrench, please."

"Which-"

"Size seven," Cyborg said before she could ask. "Raven, someone thinking that you are _not_ boring or weird isn't a standard to date someone."

"It's more than just _that._ " Raven replied. "It's just… hard. Starfire has plenty of friends outside the tower. I can barely maintain one."

"Starfire doesn't have many qualifications before considering someone her friend," Cyborg replied. "You and Star are just different people."

"But Robin, you, and Beast Boy do too. I've seen you go out and get pizza with girls in town. Robin has flocks of fans anywhere he goes. Beast Boy is friends with half the high school ever since he's been hanging out with that Terra-look-alike." Raven hopped off the counter. "I feel like I don't belong here sometimes."

Cyborg rolled out from under the car and sat up, looking at Raven.. "That's not true. You do belong here. We're family, Rae. If you want to go be friends with the bookshop guy, go for it, but you don't need him to tell you that you belong in this city. You risk your life for this place every day. Don't let anyone tell you that you don't belong, no matter what."

"I know," Raven replied.

'Good." Cyborg smiled. "And this Lucas guy, if you like him - then he has my approval. Not that he needs it, of course. You wanna climb in the driver's seat and turn her on? Let's see if this baby is working." Cyborg sat down in the stool next to the car, watching Raven climb into the driver's seat.

Raven sat down, turning the key slowly. She felt the rumble of the car beneath her as it roared to life.

"Booyah!" Cyborg jumped up from the stool, turning it back off. "We got ourselves a turbo upgrade."

"Congratulations," Raven replied.

"Well, time to put her to the test. I'm taking the T-Car out to visit Bumblebee. Titans East has a whole line of upgrades waiting for me.

"Do you want company for the ride?" Raven offered.

"I wish," Cyborg replied. "But I'm gonna need all the space in the car to carry my tools and parts. Maybe next time, Rae."

"Alright," Raven said.

"Are you gonna be okay here?" Cyborg asked. He stepped forward, looking at Raven carefully as she nodded. Cyborg placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't let people get you down, alright? You aren't boring or weird - but you also aren't just like everyone else. You're unique, Raven. And no matter what you do, we're gonna be on your side."

Raven smiled up at her friend. "Thank you."

Cyborg nodded in reply. "I'm gonna start loading up the T-Car. Would you mind telling Robin that I'm heading out?"

Raven nodded and phased through the floor to find their leader. Less than an hour later, the team was outside waving Cyborg off. "Drive safe!" Robin called.

"Give our friends many hugs from us!" Starfire said, her arm outstretched above her frantically waving goodbye.

"See ya!" Cyborg called, waving as he watched the team fade into the distance of his rear view mirror. Once they were out of sight, Cyborg leaned forward, turning the knob on the radio until it was full volume. "Alright baby, let's see what you can do now," Cyborg called out, pressing his foot down on the gas pedal.


	4. The Forest and the Wolves

Cyborg loved driving alone through the city, but long drives along the coast were far less interesting. The loud music got old quickly, and soon Cyborg was leaning back on the seat with the radio barely audible. The highway stretched on ahead of him with a few other cars on the road. Every forty-five minutes or so, he would pass a deer or a rather large bird, and those were the peaks of excitement for the remainder of the trip. He drove on a highway alongside the ocean, and before long, the sun was beginning to set over the water. The sky changed from blue, to purple, to red, and now the orange streams of light fought the night's darkness as it crept into the sky. The streetlights above the highway were just beginning to turn on, and Cyborg reached forward, turning on the T-Car's headlights.

"Alright, alright," Cyborg said aloud to himself. "35 miles to go. We're almost there."

Of course, Cyborg wasn't expecting the T-Car to respond, but she did: "Recalculating."

"What?" Cyborg asked. "No. No, no." The GPS was stuck on a small loading circle, and Cyborg tapped the screen to try and get a reaction from it. "We were definitely on the fastest route."

The T-Car's GPS spoke again: "Keep right. Then, take exit 15 on the right."

"That doesn't make any sense," Cyborg said. "Nothing is at that exit. What are you doing."

"Take exit 15 on the right," the car repeated.

Cyborg pulled over and turned his hazards on. "Alright, what's gotten into you?" Cyborg said. He refreshed the GPS, but it still said to take exit 15. Cyborg zoomed out of the map, and followed the road he had been on until he came to the a yellow triangle with the symbol for "accident ahead".

"Alright, girl," Cyborg said to the GPS. "Nice work. Findin' me a shortcut." Cyborg turned the hazards off and signaled to merge back onto the highway. The sign for exit 15 was just ahead, and he pulled off, taking the exit ramp.

Unlike the highway, exit 15 was unlit. The road got darker and darker as he moved forward. The sides of the two way street were lined with corn fields with no other cars were in sight. Cyborg eyed his GPS suspiciously, but followed her alternate route. As the night got darker, Cyborg became more confused by her instructions. "This.. can't be right," Cyborg said. "Where are you taking us, GPS?"

"Turn right," the GPS said in reply.

"Turn right? There's nothing here!" Cyborg yelled back. "Okay," Cyborg said, letting out a deep breath. "No use arguing with a robot. "

"Aren't _you_ a robot?" a feminine and familiar voice cut in from directly above him. Cyborg glanced up to find Jinx looking in through the T-Car's sunroof. He slammed on the brakes, stopping short. The young woman cartwheeled off the front. She had bright pink hair and skin as pale as Raven's. Jinx stood in her black dress, hand placed on her hip, smirking at the T-Car.

"Get out of the road, Jinx," Cyborg said. He revved the engine.

"Can't. You and I have business to discuss." Jinx walked towards the car and Cyborg threw the car in reverse and began backing up. His eyes shifted from the rear view mirror to the witch ahead of him.

"I just wanna talk," Jinx said. "Like old times, right?" Her eyes began to glow, the same pink color as her hair.

Cyborg continued backing up the car and was just about ready to turn the vehicle around when the car was lifted off the road. Cyborg slammed the gas pedal but the wheels spun in the air, useless. "What the-" Cyborg started, glancing in the rear view mirror again to see Mammoth's face smiling in through the back windshield. Mammoth chucked the T-Car off the road, and Cyborg braced himself as the car slid on its side across the ground.

Once the car stopped moving, Cyborg took a deep breath. His arm transformed into a sonic cannon and was already charging up to shoot as he unclipped his seat belt. As much as he hated to do it, he punched through the front windshield and stood up, using the car as a barrier to block himself from any oncoming fire.

"What was that?" Jinx yelled to Mammoth. She lowered her voice. "We need him _alive_ , remember? No more throwing vehicles!"

Cyborg held his arm up with his sonic cannon ready. As soon as he fired, the blue beam hit Mammoth square in the chest, knocking him back. Jinx did a back-handspring away from where he shot, distancing herself from Cyborg's line of fire.

"So you wanna do this the hard way, then?" Jinx said. She smiled at Cyborg, her eyes still glowing.

"I didn't wanna _do_ anything till y'all wrecked my ride!" Cyborg yelled.

"Oops," Jinx said with a shrug. "Well, too late now."

"It's not to late Jinx," Cyborg replied. He kept his cannon pointed at her, charged to shoot, but he held his fire. "You were getting out. You don't have to do this. I'm on my way to see Kid Flash right now, you could come with me. We could protect you."

"I don't need protection," Jinx said. Her hands and eyes were glowing, but like Cyborg, she held her fire as well.

"Come with me," Cyborg repeated.

"Uck," Jinx replied, mimicking a gag. "Always such a hero."

"It's what we do," Cyborg said. "It could be what _you_ do."

"Spare me the sob story." Jinx looked just over Cyborg's shoulder. "Enough stalling. Gizmo - Go!"

The baby sized villain jumped on Cyborg's back. "Gotcha, snotbrain!"

Cyborg swung an arm back to pull Gizmo off, but Jinx shot pink blasts at his feet. He leaped to his left to dodge her attack, but Gizmo had already stuck an electronic device to his back. "Goodnight, tinman!" Gizmo called. Gizmo jumped to the ground and pushed the red button in his hand.

Cyborg felt warm first, and then he felt heavy. He fell to his knees, his arms catching his upper body. Then his arms gave out too, and he fell completely to the floor. Electricity burned through him until it became too much to bare.

Jinx stepped over him. "You'll be fine," she whispered. "We're just gonna take you with us." Her pale face was leaning close to his. His robot eye had already stopped working, but his human eye looked up into her purple eyes, until he was unable to stay awake.

Jinx turned to Gizmo. "Go get Mammoth up."

"Why do I -?" Gizmo started.

"Because someone is going to have to carry Cyborg back to the boss, and it's _not_ going to be me." Jinx stood over Cyborg's unconscious body until Mammoth was ready, and then Cyborg was lifted into Mammoth's strong arms.

"Let's go," Jinx commanded.


	5. Bonjour Reprise

The elevator doors opened to a dark common room. Raven took a single step forward toward the the only light in the room: a single candle on the dining table. "Hello?" Raven said aloud. She reached out, feeling for the light switch.

"Wait," Beast Boy said. He stepped out of the kitchen area with a plate in each hand. "I made us dinner."

"...Is something wrong with the lights?"

"No," Beast Boy replied. "It's just …. Well, Robin and Starfire went to a movie, and Cyborg is with the Titans East, so… I thought - I lit a candle."

Raven looked from the candle back to Beast Boy. "Is this supposed to be a date?"

"I got you these." Beast Boy lifted a bouquet of daisies from the countertop.

"Beast Boy," Raven said with a sigh. He looked so hopeful, smiling at her with the flowers held out. "I don't want to date you."

"Raven…" Beast Boy started to say.

"No," Raven interrupted. "I already said no."

"But I thought if-"

"Maybe if you listened to me," Raven replied. "If you had any respect for the things I said I wanted or liked. This isn't about me, Beast Boy. It's about you. It's always been about you."

"That's not true," Beast Boy replied. He placed the daisies onto the table, reaching out to grab her by the hand. "Raven, I love you."

Raven paused. In the flickering light of the candle, Beast Boy was looking up at her, just a few inches shorter, his green eyes wide. Raven tried to replay his words in her head. _He can't be serious,_ she thought to herself.

Raven was still processing his words when she realized Beast Boy was leaning closer, his lips moving towards her own. Her magic responded for her, sending Beast Boy falling backward.

"What was that for?" Beast Boy yelled, rubbing his butt where he had landed.

"You were trying to kiss me," Raven replied, unapologetic.

"I just told you that I love you." Beast Boy's voice dropped to a whisper.

Raven backed away from him. "I'm sorry… I just don't feel the same way."

Beast Boy stood up. There was no goofy smile, no confused frown - just a blank expression. An expression that was almost anger, but too far removed for anger to truly manifest. Raven had seen this expression only once before when he had accidentally been covered in a chemical during a fight with Adonis and briefly lost control of his shape-shifting abilities. The chemical made him aggressive and rude, a combination Raven had never seen in him again since - until tonight as he glared at her.

"You enjoy the dinner then," Beast Boy said. "I guess I'll just leave you alone." He didn't move for a second, perhaps waiting for a reply, but when none came he pushed past her, his shoulder hitting hers as he passed to leave. The doors to the elevator opened behind her, and light flooded into the room. Beast Boy's figure cast a large shadow, leaving Raven standing alone in it. She turned her head, watching as he pressed the button for the floor and looked back up, his eyes dark. The elevator doors closed around him, blocking the light it had emitted into the room, and Raven stood alone.

Raven watched the elevator, making sure they didn't reopen before she used her magic to levitate the plates of food back into the kitchen. "Me. Date _him._ That brainless -" Raven tossed the food straight into the garbage and let the plates land on top of the pile of dishes.

"Ugh," Raven muttered to herself. "I can't even believe it." On her waist, the communicator beeped. She yanked it off her belt and flipped it open, scowling at the screen.

 **Lucas:** Hey! How you liking _Cleopatra?_ (Please tell me you're not done with it already! I'm only 10 pages further in _The Soul Thief!"_

Raven's scowl faded as she reread the text. She started to type a reply: "I barely started it. Things have been -" She paused. Things have been… busy? Weird? Irritating? Raven reread his message again and deleted her reply. Why would he care how things have been? "I like it so far," Raven typed out. "I'm only 15 pages in." Raven hit send.

 **Lucas:** 15 pages? Must have been a busy day for you, huh? :P

 **Raven:** You have no idea.

 **Lucas:** Oh :( Do you want to talk about it?

The blue glow of Raven's screen lit up her face in the otherwise dark room. Raven typed out another reply: "I just wish I didn't feel so alone" Raven started, but she deleted the reply before sending it. Raven closed her communicator, sitting now in total darkness. She sounded like a whiny teenager. _Well,_ Raven thought to herself. _I am a whiny teenager._

The communicator buzzed again, and Raven flipped it open eagerly. No new message from Lucas though. Instead, there was a message from Aqualad: "Is Cyborg still coming?".

Raven closed Aqualad's message without reply and began to call Cyborg. The call rang four times before going to an automated message letting her know that a voice mailbox has not been set up yet. Given that he was able to answer calls from his arm - it was rare that he ever missed one. Raven moved to the computer, opening up the Titans' communicator tracking and searched Cyborg's. As soon as she entered the search criteria, the computer's response popped up. "Device Offline."

"Device offline?" Raven whispered aloud to herself. "It's in his arm." She pulled her communicator back off, calling Cyborg again. This time, she buzzed him the way the team only did in emergencies. Rather than ringing, it went straight to speech like a walkie-talkie. "Raven calling Cyborg. Come in."

Raven waited a moment. When no response came, she tried again. "Raven calling Cyborg. Come in Cyborg."

Raven typed the route to the Titans East tower into the computer, and printed the directions out. She used her communicator to message Robin, Starfire, and Beast Boy: "Cyborg never arrived at Titans East tower. I'm going to go look for him." She knew Robin and Starfire wouldn't see the message till after their movie, and Beast Boy probably didn't care what she was doing right now, but she sent it anyway. Raven was about to phase herself outside of the tower when the computer beeped again with an incoming message with the Jump City police department.

 _Titans: Requesting assistance at 3rd Ave and Verdosa St. Suspicious activity reported in Verdosa Park._

With everyone else occupied, Raven put the directions to Titans East Tower into her cape pocket and phased out of the tower. Verdosa Park first, then she could search for Cyborg. With that plan in mind, Raven flew through the cold night towards Jump City alone.


	6. Take Me Instead

Verdosa Park was in downtown Jump City, centered between a large and rather old church and the last subway stop within the city limits. It was the smallest park Jump City had, with a two-seater swing set, slide, and a small field with barely enough room to throw a frisbee. A brick wall surrounded the park, standing at about three feet high, with large archways at the entrances, of which there were three.

Raven landed in front of the east entrance where she could see the whole park. Aside from the three pine trees blowing in the night's breeze, nothing else in the park moved. Any disturbance that was reported seemed to be long gone now. Raven walked under the archway. Dew had already formed on the grass, dampening her boots as made her way across the field.

"Looking for us?" Jinx said. She stepped under the arch of the southern entrance to the park. Mammoth stood behind her, and Gizmo to her right. "Sorry if we were making too much noise. We've gotta train somewhere, you know?"

"So the HIVE doesn't allow you to use their training facilities anymore?" Raven asked.

"We could," Jinx replied. "But our newest member isn't a HIVE student, so we had to relocate." Jinx crossed her arms, smirking at Raven's confused expression.

"New member?" Raven asked.

From beside Gizmo, Cyborg stood up from behind the brick fence. The blue lighting that normally accented his metallic features was now dark red. "I'm actually glad you're here," Jinx said. "We were getting bored of shooting at trees."

"Cyborg, what's-" Raven started.

Jinx interrupted her. "HIVE 5 - Attack!"

Jinx ran forward, shooting pink blasts of light at Raven, who used her own magic to brush them aside. With another flick of her wrist, Raven sent two spells at Jinx, but she cartwheeled out of the way and countered with a wave of pink light.

A flash of grey blocked Jinx's magic from approaching Raven, and when the spell faded, Robin stood, twirling his staff. "This party is over, Jinx."

Starfire descended from the sky, landing beside him, and Beast Boy slid in alongside them as well, running over as a lion and then shifting into human form at Robin's left. "Titans - Go!" Robin called. The team divided, with Starfire fighting Mammoth, Beast Boy fighting Gizmo, and Robin fighting Jinx.

Only Raven looked to Cyborg. The rest of the team must have thought he came alongside her - they completely ignored him being there. His jaw was clenched, and his human eye tightly shut. Raven flew beside him to hear him murmuring to himself. "No. _NO._ "

"Cyborg?" Raven asked.

"Get back, Raven," Cyborg said aloud. "They're in my system. I can't - control -" His arm was a cannon, and he raising it up in slow, jerky movements. It pointed ahead of him, to where Starfire was holding Mammoth in a chokehold.

"What do I do?" Raven said. "Is there a way I can - reprogram?"

"I need to - focus," Cyborg replied. He inhaled deeply, his whole face tense. The human side of his forehead began to sweat. Then his eye opened, and he yelled, "STARFIRE!" as the cannon went off. A red light shot across the park, hitting Starfire square in the chest and sending her flying backwards. Mammoth fell with her, landing hard on the grass.

"Star!" Robin yelled. He swung his staff clumsily, missing Jinx's head by about a foot. Using the diversion, Jinx sent a blast of magic straight into the side of Robin's face and he fell against the brick wall. Beast Boy was occupied in the form of an octopus, holding Gizmo wrapped in a tentacle.

"Hang on," Raven called to Cyborg. She flew forward, her own magic surrounding Jinx and literally throwing her across the park. Jinx hit the slide and fell, unconscious. Raven flew back to Cyborg's side. "Okay. They're all out of the way. Take your time and tell me what to do."

"He's out of time, Raven." Slade's voice said. He stepped out of the shadows across the street from the park. The street lights illuminated the orange half of his mask, but the rest remained concealed by the dark night. "Cyborg, shoot," Slade commanded.

At Slade's words, Cyborg's cannon rose again, this time aimed at Beast Boy. "I don't - want - to...no!" The cannon went off, hitting both Beast Boy and Gizmo.

Raven levitated into the air, her eyes glowing dark and magic engulfing both her hands. "Let him go," Raven demanded, flying towards where Slade stood.

"Cyborg, shoot," Slade repeated. Cyborg's cannon turned on Raven.

"Rae - I can't fight for much longer," Cyborg said.

"What do you want with him?" Raven asked.

"What I've always wanted," Slade replied. "I need an apprentice. Robin proved too hard to manipulate, Terra too hard to control. But Cyborg… he comes with the controls."

Raven glanced back at Cyborg, he was on his knees beside the park entrance, his free hand desperately trying to push the cannon down, but it was locked onto it's target.

"Take me instead," Raven said suddenly. She turned and looked Slade in the eye. "Let Cyborg go, and I'll be your apprentice."

"You?" Slade asked.

"Raven!" Cyborg warned. The cannon went off, and Raven waved her hand. A wall of black magic blocked the shot from hitting her. Cyborg fell to his hands and knees gasping for breath. "Raven, no. You can't."

"I'm stronger," Raven continued to Slade, ignoring Cyborg's comments. "And - I'm willing. Cyborg is fighting you with every ounce of strength he has. He'll be a challenge for as long as he lives."

"Why?" Slade asked.

"I don't need a reason." Raven landed on the street in front of him. "I can go with you now. Let Cyborg go."

"I won't deprogram my system. If you run, I'll reactivate it and Cyborg will work for me again." Slade stepped forward, towering over her. He was more than a foot taller. Still, Raven matched his stare.

"Do we have a deal?" Raven asked.

Slade hesitated for a moment, and then he pressed a button his belt. The red light that glowed from Cyborg's body turned to blue, and Cyborg's red eye changed to blue as well. Cyborg gasped for air, fighting to stand. "Raven, you can't-"

"It's done," Slade called. He grabbed Raven by the forearm, dragging her away from the park.

"I can walk on my own," Raven replied, yanking herself free. Cyborg staggered behind them, trying to keep up.

"Raven, no," Cyborg said again. As he regained control of his systems, he increased his pace, chasing after them.

"Stop him," Slade commanded, and Raven put a wall of magic up in his path. She glanced back, watching Cyborg pound his fists into the wall of black glowing light until Slade turned the corner and she had to follow, losing sight of her friend.


	7. Is This Home?

Slade led Raven through the woods, the two walking in silence as they rounded trees and ducked under low hanging branches. After an hour or so of wandering, tall iron fence came into sight. The fence was rusty, and spiders had made webs between the bars. Slade walked along the fence to the center, where the gate was left ajar.

"This way," Slade said. The gate squeaked as he pushed it, and the bottom of the gate scraped against the cobblestone pathway. The lawn was unkempt, with grass and weeds growing tall, and hedges untrimmed. The brown, shriveled remains of flowers surrounded the front steps. Slade stepped up on the first step, and then stretched his leg over the second (broken) step to move to the third, before stepping towards the doorway. Raven lingered on the pathway, looking up at the mansion. The structure had three main floors, but at it's center, a tower rose another two stories above the rest of the house. The large windows were dark and, Raven could see from here, dusty. Only one room had a light on and curtains open: the third floor's furthest window to the right. Raven watched as a shadow passed over the window.

"Is this where you live?" Raven asked.

"Don't touch anything," Slade said in reply. He opened the front door and stood, holding it for her.

"Who else is here?" Raven asked. She flew up the steps, hovering in front of the doorway.

Slade reached out, grabbing her by the arm and yanking her inside. "No more questions."

Compared to decaying state of the front yard, Raven expected the inside of the house to be falling apart as well. Stepping inside and away from the moonlight, it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dark room. The foyer was a large hall with polished hardwood floors and a long, detailed rug rolled down it. The large windows she had seen from outside were covered with thick curtains that reached to the floors. A mahogany end table was pressed against the wall to the left of the door. The table supported a three armed, gold candelabrum, and an antique clock pointing to the time: 4:40. From the doorway, the main staircase led up to the second floor, but the hall wrapped around it.

Slade had already begun to move up the hall and, glanced back, noticed Raven had stop to inspect the clock. "What are you doing?" Slade asked, turning around and moving back towards her.

"Your clock is broken," Raven replied.

"Come. Now." Slade commanded.

Raven glared in response, but she stepped forward, following as Slade led her down the hall. As they walked, Raven glanced up to examine the paintings of landscapes and portraits that hung on the wall. "Keep up," Slade said when he noticed her eyes wandering.

Slade stopped to unlock a door, and opened it to a staircase going beneath the house. He began to go down the steps and Raven floated behind him. There was nothing else to see in the stairway, just the narrow and unlit steps before her, until they reached the bottom, which opened into a workspace.

The room was cold and small. The only light came from a florescent bulb at the center of the room, which flickered every few minutes. Opposite of the stairway was a metal table with various tools scattered on it. Slade reached towards Raven, pulling her communicator off her belt and placing it on the table, only to smash it with a hammer a second later.

To the left, iron bars separated the workroom from a small cell. Inside, there was a table with metal cuffs were hands and feet would go. "Is this where you kept Cyborg?" Raven asked. She couldn't keep the anger out of her voice. "Chained to a table?"

"I turned him off when I wasn't using him," Slade replied.

"He's a person," Raven responded.

Slade was no longer listening to her. He turned his back to her and started up the computer at the end of his work table, typing away at different files. They stood in silence for quite a while, Slade working by himself, before he finally signed out of the computer.

"Stay here," Slade commanded. He turned and walked up the stairs alone. Raven listened to his footsteps ascend. When he had reached the top of the stairs, the flickering light above her went off completely. Raven didn't move right away. She inhaled deeply, focusing on slowly exhaling as her stomach turned over. _What did I just do?_ Raven thought. She glanced around the darkness. She could phase out of the room easily, but go where? If she disappeared, he would just take Cyborg as his apprentice again.

Raven lifted her legs into the air and hovered, saying her mantra to herself. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." She didn't have to think about everything right now.

—

Slade locked the door to the basement and turned to find Wintergreen in the hall behind him. He stepped forward eagerly, looking around the hall. "I thought I heard a woman."

"You did," Slade replied.

"Did you meet someone, sir?" Wintergreen asked. "Shall I get her a drink?"

"No." Slade began to walk back through the hallway, leaving Wintergreen in a light jog to keep up.

"Where is she now?" Wintergreen asked.

"The dungeon," Slade responded.

Wintergreen stopped following behind Slade. "Sir, I am very confused."

"The trial run of Cyborg vs the Titans went well. My program overpowered his systems. He fought, but ultimately, I had control," Slade explained. "Then _she_ offered to be my apprentice in his place."

"She?" Wintergreen asked.

"Raven. Trigon's daughter." Slade thrust his hand towards the basement door.

"She's here willingly to be your apprentice?" Wintergreen asked.

"Yes," Slade replied. "In exchange for her friend's freedom."

"And you locked her in the dungeon?" Wintergreen asked.

"Where else would I keep her?" Slade replied. He walked passed the front door and turned to go up the main staircase

"Well, if the girl is going to be with us for quite some time, I am thinking that, perhaps, we should offer her a more comfortable room," Wintergreen said.

Slade turned around, his one eye glaring at his servant who stood quietly dusting the candelabrum near the doorway and carefully avoiding eye contact. Slade stood for a moment before muttering, "Fine. Prepare the small bedroom in the east wing."

Wintergreen nodded, abandoning the candelabrum and hurrying up the stairs to prepare the room. Slade went in the opposite direction, returning to the basement door and turning the light back on. He jogged down the steps to find Raven sitting in the air, eyes closed, mumbling to herself.

"What are you doing?" Slade asked.

"Mediating." Raven replied without moving anything other than her mouth.

"That's enough," Slade said. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" Raven asked. She lowered her legs to the floor and stood up straight.

"I will show you to your room," Slade replied. He turned to go back up the stairs, but Raven didn't move, looking back at the cell Cyborg had been chained in.

"My room?" Raven asked. "I thought-"

"Do you want to stay here?" Slade asked.

"No," Raven replied.

"Come." Slade didn't wait for a reply before moving up the steps. He led Raven back through the hallway and up the main stairs to the second, and then to the third floor. The third floor hall was unlit, not that Raven minded. She enjoyed the darkness - it reminded her of her own room back at the tower. As the two walked, Slade glanced back at her. "As you are living here now, you are permitted to move about the house as you like, anywhere except for the west wing."

"What's in the west-"

Slade turned around, stepping towards her so that he looked directly down at her, his face a foot above hers. "I told you no more questions."

Raven jumped back, distancing herself from Slade's glare. "You can't control what I say," Raven replied.

"You promised yourself to me. I am your master now, you'll do as I command," Slade ordered.

"I promised to work as your apprentice. You aren't my master," Raven replied.

Slade stopped and pushed open a door. "This will be your room. You will not speak back to me again."

Raven stepped through the doorway, and Slade shut the door behind her, leaving her standing alone in the dark.


	8. Gaston

The Titans had spent the night searching for Raven until they had no energy left. Then, they had no choice but to retreated to the tower. It was sunrise before they split up, going to their own rooms and lying awake. By noon, they abandoned their attempts at sleeping and wandered down to the common area, not surprised to find the rest of the team doing the same thing. Cyborg had himself plugged into the computer, digging through his own system and hard drive. Robin and Starfire sat on the couch beside him, and Beast Boy sat on the floor in front of the large window overlooking the city.

"I can't find it," Cyborg said, looking around at his friends. "Whatever Slade reprogrammed or implanted. I just don't see it here."

"Maybe it's gone?" Beast Boy suggested. His face was pressed against the glass, his eyes scanning back and forth over the distant buildings.

"Slade didn't have time to deprogram it," Cyborg replied.

"We can search again tomorrow," Starfire said, placing a hand on Cyborg's shoulder. "For now, we are glad you are home again with us."

"I was barely gone," Cyborg replied. "We should be going after Raven."

"Why would Raven just go with him? What was she thinking?" Beast Boy asked.

"She thought she was saving me," Cyborg replied. "The pain that I was in - trying to fight Slade's control…."

"I should have stopped her," Beast Boy said. He stood up, glaring out at the city. "She could be anywhere."

"Raven can protect herself," Robin replied. "We are going to find her and get her out."

"Do you remember where Slade was keeping you?" Beast Boy asked Cyborg.

Cyborg only shook his head. "I was unconscious for most of it."

"What about you?" Beast Boy turned to Robin. "When you worked for him - where did he keep you?"

"A warehouse by the boardwalk," Robin replied. "It's abandoned now. I checked."

"Then we need to ask Terra," Beast Boy said.

The group exchanged worried glances. Starfire stepped forward, reaching out a hand towards Beast Boy. "We all wish for Raven to safely return to us, but it is impossible to ask Terra about her past."

"It's not impossible. We'll make her remember." Beast Boy pushed Starfire's hand away. "We gave up on Terra when Slade had her. We can't give up again."

"We never gave up, Beast Boy," Robin said.

"Yeah, man. We gave her every chance we could," Cyborg added.

"I'm going to find her," Beast Boy replied. He stood up and pushed past the other Titans, heading for the elevator.

"Should we go with him?" Starfire asked.

"No," Robin replied. He put an arm around Starfire to pull her into a hug. "He just needs some time."

"He's not wrong," Cyborg said. "Raven's only there because of me and Slade… who knows what he's doing to her."

Starfire pulled away from Robin and hoovered beside Cyborg. "Friend, you are not at fault. Raven made a choice on her own, and we will help her to be free of Slade. She is very strong. She will be okay."

* * *

Beast Boy waited outside the high school for classes to let out. The front entrance to the school grounds had a large gate, and the school security and staff were all used to seeing him lingering in front of it. When the final bell rang, the front doors opened and students began to file out of the building. Cars were already lined up on the street and parents honked to call the attention of their children. The murmuring of voices blended together as students poured out of the school. Beast Boy squinted through the crowd - all wearing matching uniforms. Then, he saw her.

Tall, thin, and blonde with large, bright blue eyes. She left her school's blazer in her locker, standing in just the white button down shirt and blue skirt. Her tie was loose, violating the school's dress code, but after the final bell no one would care. Her backpack hung off one shoulder, and she stood at the bottom of the school's steps. Her hair hung over her shoulders, and she smiled at her friend beside her. Her right arm was wrapped around notebooks, but her left arm reached up to her face, brushing her hair out of her eyes. She tucked the lock of hair behind her ear and waved goodbye to her friends as she walked down the path towards the school gate. The sun shined on her face, and she smiled, looking straight ahead.

Beast Boy stepped out from beside the school's gate and Terra slowed down. Her smile faded, and she pulled her books closer to her chest.

"Hi Beast Boy," she said as she approached him.

"Hey. How are you?"

"I'm fine. You aren't supposed to be here."

Beast Boy nodded. "I know," he replied. "I just… I had to see you."

"I'm not her."

"I know. Ashley, I know," Beast Boy reached out, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked.

Beast Boy's hand fell back to his side. He hated calling her _Ashley._ He couldn't stand that it was all she would respond to. Now wasn't the time though; he had to focus. "Can we talk for a bit?" Beast Boy asked.

Ashley glanced back towards the school. Her friends were lingering on the stairway, making sure she was alright, and Ashley gave a reassuring nod. "Fine," Ashley said. "For a bit."

They walked side by side away from the school and up the city streets towards the pizzeria and bowling alley. On the occasions that Ashley agreed to hang out with him, this was their spot to go. Lately, those occasions were more and more frequent. He had met her friends, hung out with her classmates. Then he would slip up and call her Terra again, even just once, and she'd get distant all over. Ashley sat down at their usual table and Beast Boy went to the counter, ordering two slices and two drinks. They waited separately and in silence until the food was ready.

The two pizza slices were placed on the counter. Beast Boy added their drinks and straws to the tray and walked it over, placing it on the table where Ashley sat.

"How's school been?" Beast Boy asked, sliding a pizza towards her.

"Fine." Ashley took the soda, pushing the straw into it. She stirred the ice cubes around the drink, watching them spin to avoid eye contact with Beast Boy. "How are the Titans?"

"Raven is missing," Beast Boy replied. Ashley didn't respond or look up. "She went with Slade."

"Well," Ashley started. She hair fell out from behind her ear, brushing in front of her face. "She wouldn't be the first."

"I know that you aren't Terr - _her_ ," Beast Boy quickly corrected himself before he said her name. "But I need to ask if you know where Raven is. Do you know where he would keep her?"

"How would I know that?" Ashley replied. She glared at Beast Boy.

"It's been really hard for me since Terra left," Beast Boy said slowly.

"Terra died," Ashley corrected.

Beast Boy ignored her and continued. "Raven and I have been...getting closer lately."

"So, you started dating and then she got kidnapped by Slade?"

"No," Beast Boy replied. "I asked her out, she was weird about it, and then she went with Slade semi-voluntarily."

"What do you mean?" Ashley asked.

"She just … I dunno, she got weird about it. She started saying I don't listen to her and that she didn't want to date me because I don't like the library or something and then Slade got control of Cyborg and she offered to take Cyborg's place and I can't help but think that she did it because of me. Like, maybe, I bothered her enough that she wanted to leave."

Ashley reached across the table, resting her hand on Beast Boy's. "She must be crazy to say no to you. You are an incredible guy."

"You think so?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah, of course I do!" Ashley replied.

"It's just… I feel really rejected. Humiliated."

"More pizza?" Ashley suggested.

"What for?" Beast Boy replied, falling against the back of the booth. "Nothing helps…She hates me."

"Who could hate you? Come on, pull yourself together, Beast Boy." Ashley moved around the table to sit beside him. "I don't like seeing you so down. You're a Teen Titan! Any guy would want to be you."

"That's not true," Beast Boy replied. "I'm a joke. The comic relief."

"No way," Ashley said. "No one in town's as admired as you. You're everyone's favorite guy."

"Really?" Beast Boy said.

"Dude - you change shapes into different animals! You're funny. Your fast, and strong. Green is a very popular favorite color," Ashley said.

"I guess I am pretty cool," Beast Boy said, sitting up more.

Ashley smirked. "Well, don't get any ideas. I am staying _away_ from the superhero world."

"I know, I know," Beast Boy replied. "Thanks, Ashley."

"Anytime," Ashley replied. "I don't mind being friends, ya know. As long as you want to be friends with _me._ Not with her."

"I do want to be friends with you, Ashley," Beast Boy said. "I just have to find Raven."

"I can't help with that," Ashley said. She finished her soda. "But you will find her. I know you will."

Ashley stood up, taking her garbage with her. "I'll see ya around, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy waved goodbye, watching as she left the pizza shop. "See you, Terra," he said quietly as the door closed. Beast Boy dug in his pockets, placing a few dollars on the table to pay for their meal.

"Everyone's favorite guy," Beast Boy repeated, trying to keep himself convinced. Despite his efforts, the confidence from Ashley's pep talk wore off quickly. Ashley didn't know where Raven was - or if she did, she refused to admit it. His plan failed and Beast Boy was out of ideas; he was defeated.


	9. The Dinner Invitation

The sun slipped in through a narrow crack between the curtains of Raven's new room. She was already awake, having hardly slept at all. Once the beams of light fighting their way into the room grew brighter, Raven slipped out of the bed. Her barefeet crossed the hardwood floors over to the large armchair against the wall where she had left her cape the night before. She pulled the cape around her, fastening the red jeweled clip on the front to hold it in place, and then she went to the window. The curtains were heavy and thick, and Raven wove her fingers into their fabric, pushing the curtains apart to let the light in.

The morning sun gave Raven her first real look at her new room. The door was positioned on the left side of the room, just a few feet from the left wall. Along that wall was the armchair, handsomely made from mahogany wood and vintage white fabric. A wardrobe was centered between the armchair and the bed. Like the armchair, the wardrobe and bedposts were made from mahogany wood as well. The bed was covered with a thick off-white quilt. The curtains matched the fabrics of the bed. Continuing the theme of the room, a mahogany desk rested against the far wall on the right side of the door. The only thing on the desk was a clear vase with five white lilies sitting in water inside it.

Raven waved her hand over the bed and her magic pulled the quilt up and fluffed the pillows back into place. She levitated over her boots and slipped them onto her feet. The wardrobe was empty. Raven found a blank notepad and a pen in the desk drawer. Just as she finished searching through the desk, a soft knock came on the door.

"Yes?" Raven asked.

"May I come in, dear?" a woman's voice replied.

Raven surrounded the doorknob in her magic and pulled the door open. A small, older woman stood in the doorway. She was a foot shorter than Raven was, with greying brown hair tied up in a bun behind her head. Her pale skin had wrinkles around her lips and her blue eyes.

"Who are you?" Raven asked, pushing the desk drawer in front of her closed. The woman came in pulling a large, black suitcase rolling behind her.

"Fiona, dear"

"What do you want?"

"Master Slade had asked me to stop in today. He said you'd be needing a fitting." The woman unzipped the top pocket of the suitcase and pulled out a roll of measuring tape.

"A what?" Raven asked.

"A fitting, dear. For a uniform." Fiona unrolled the tape, dropping one end of it to the floor, holding it up against Raven's shoulder.

"I have a uniform," Raven replied. She stared at the short, kind-faced woman. Where could Slade have found a sweet little tailor to come design supervillain uniforms.

Fiona nodded. "Yes, yes I see." She pulled the measuring tape back up and held it along Raven's arm, then stretched it horizontally from shoulder to shoulder. "How do you feel about the color orange? The Master prefers it, and I think it'd brighten you up a bit."

"I am not changing my uniform," Raven replied.

"Yes, he said you'd say that," Fiona said. She dug through the suitcase she brought with her, pulling out a different measuring tape. "How about some touch ups, then?"

"I wouldn't have guessed Slade would have a personal stylist," Raven replied as Fiona pulled the measuring tape around Raven's waist, much to Raven's discomfort.

"I don't think he'd have guessed it himself either. Yet, here I am. Now, if you are very set on keeping this uniform, we could get away with it. Keep the leotard, I'll make you some duplicates, and we change the cape to orange," Fiona explained.

"I'm not changing -"

Fiona rose a hand to silence Raven. "I won't hear another word on it, I've decided. Now, about the gemstone fastening your cape closed, do you feel particularly attached to it? I'm thinking we switch it up for one with an S. You know Slade's symbol, of course? I would hope so. I designed it to be memorable."

Fiona packed her measuring tape away, and then she turned to smile at Raven. "We're all set then," Fiona said, zipping her suitcase shut again. "That didn't take long, now did it?" She wheeled her suitcase towards the door and placed it just outside. "Are you doing alright, dearie? The master hasn't scared you, has he?"

"Slade doesn't scare me," Raven replied.

Fiona nodded, but it was clear she didn't believe Raven. "Still," Fiona said, "It was a brave thing you did, taking your friend's place like that."

"Yeah, _brave,_ " Raven said sarcastically. "I lost all my friends. My team. Everything."

"Cheer up, child. It'll turn out alright in the end. You'll see." Fiona took Raven's hand and patted it gently. "Now, enough jabberin'. There's work to be done. I'll have a new uniform for you in no time at all."

With that, Fiona gave Raven a quick wink and shuffled out the door, suitcase rolling behind her.

* * *

Raven spent the day sitting in the room mediating. The house, much unlike Titan's Tower, was quiet and Raven found it easy to focus on her mantra. The day passed by quickly without interruption until the sun was setting, and a soft rapping came to the door.

"Who is it?" Raven asked. The door opened very slowly, with more than enough time for Raven to stop it, but when she didn't, an elderly man stepped inside.

"Wintergreen, madam," the old man said with a short bow. "Dinner is served. Master Slade is already waiting."

"I'm not going," Raven replied.

Wintergreen straightened up. "Not - not going? My dear there is no need to starve yourself. The master has decided you would join him for dinner."

"Was Cyborg joining him for dinner when you had him chained in the cellar?"

"I-" Wintergreen started.

"I said I'm not going," Raven replied. She crossed her legs into the air and returned to mediation.

* * *

Several floors below, Slade paced the dining room downstairs. The long table was covered with a handmade cloth and glass plates surrounded by silverware. At the center of the table, a single candle was lit. The dining room had no windows, but it did have a large fireplace that was burning, giving the room light that it otherwise lacked.

The heels of Slade's boots clicked with each step against the marble tiles. "What is taking so long?" Slade asked.

"Good evening, sir," Wintergreen said, pushing open the doorway.

"Well, where is she?" Slade replied.

"Uh, she is not coming," Wintergreen said slowly. He walked towards the table, lifting a plate. "Shall I -"

"What?" Slade yelled.

"I-"

Slade pushed past Wintergreen, storming up the steps towards Raven's door. "Open the door," Slade demanding, pounding on it's wood. He could hear Raven moving on the other side.

"No," Raven said.

"I command you-"

"You can't just command me to do whatever you want," Raven interrupted. "I'll be your apprentice. If you have a mission, fine, but I'm not eating dinner with you."

"You do not make the rules, Raven. I command you to come down to dinner."

"I'm not hungry," Raven replied.

"Come out here or I'll _break this door down,_ " Slade yelled.

"Sir," Wintergreen whispered. "I could be wrong but that may not be the best way to convince her. Be kind."

Slade glared at Wintergreen for a moment, but he then turned to the door and knocked gently. "Will you come to dinner?"

"No!" Raven replied.

"You can't stay in there forever," Slade said.

"Yes I can," Raven called back.

"Fine," Slade said. "Stay in there and starve then." Slade turned to Wintergreen. "You are forbidden from feeding her anything. If she won't eat with me then she won't eat at all."


	10. Be Our Guest

Slade stood in front of the fireplace in his study. His arm rested on the mantle, but he bent forward so his face could feel the warmth of the flames. Behind him, Wintergreen dusted the shelves of books that lined the wall.

"Is it so important that she eats with you?" Wintergreen asked carefully.

"It's important that she listens to me," Slade replied.

"She's a Titan, sir," Wintergreen said gently.

"I know," Slade replied. He slumped into the chair near the fire. "You're dismissed for the night, Wintergreen."

"Very well, sir," Wintergreen said, letting himself out of the room. Slade poured himself a drink, sitting alone to watch the fire before he went to bed.

* * *

Raven phased through her bedroom door, silently levitating through the long dark hallway. The mansion was so quiet that Raven feared even landing on the thick hall carpets would be too much noise. Instead, she floated silently through the house and down the stairs.

Eventually, Raven saw a light in one of the first floor rooms, and Raven pressed her ear to the door. Inside the room, she could hear running water and the clanging of dishes. "Shame to see all your work go to waste," a woman said. Raven recognized Fiona's voice from earlier.

"It's been a long day for all of us," Wintergreen replied. "If he doesn't learn to control his temper…" The sentence fell off.

Raven pushed the door open slightly, allowing it to creak to announce her presence. Wintergreen was standing over the sink, with a plate in his hands under the running water. At the sight of Raven walking into the kitchen, he put the plate down, jumping to attention.

"Splendid to see you out and about, Miss. Raven," Wintergreen said. "I don't believe we have formally met. I am Wintergreen, the head of house staff." Wintergreen bowed.

"I remember," Raven replied. "Sorry about… the dinner thing."

"Oh, no fuss at all. Is there anything you needed? Is your room comfortable?" Wintergreen asked.

"I am a little hungry," Raven admitted.

"You are?" Wintergreen replied. He turned to Fiona with a grin. "Let me get that dinner back out. Start the oven, Fiona."

"Ehem." Fiona leaned towards Wintergreen and spoke from the corner of her mouth: "Remember what Master Slade said."

"I am not about to let the child go hungry," Wintergreen replied, pulling a tray out of the fridge.

"Fine, fine," Fiona replied. "A bit of tea, perhaps, and some toast, then off to bed."

"Oh, shush," Wintergreen replied. He started the oven himself and pushed the tray inside. "You are not a prisoner here, Raven. You are a guest in our house and I will do everything I can to make you feel welcome. Come right this way, I'll show you to the dining room."

The kitchen had a swinging door into the dining room. The long wooden table only had two chairs, one at each end. To the left of the table was a doorway, Raven assumed back into the hall. The right wall featured a fireplace, which Wintergreen was already bending to light, and two windows covered by their thick curtains - just like the rest of the house.

"I can help with that," Raven offered, leaning towards the firewood.

"No, no," Wintergreen replied. "It's my job. Life can be unnerving for a servant who's not serving. Master Slade needs so little assistance. It's a pleasure to finally have something useful to do."

Once the fire was lit, Wintergreen stepped back to the table and pulled the chair out. "If you'll have a seat. I will proudly present your dinner. Please, be our guest."

Wintergreen slipped back through the sliding door and rolled out a cart. "Your first course: oysters, fresh caught. It pairs nicely with our white wines which we have a fine selection of this evening."

"Oh, I don't drink, thank you though." Raven lifted one of the oysters by its' shell and tried it. "This is very good, thank you."

"Well, do not hesitate if you require something else. Please, put our service to the test." Wintergreen pulled a cloth napkin from the table and placed it gently onto her lap. As Raven ate the three oysters he had served, Wintergreen moved towards the record player in the corner of the room and played light classical music.

"This was delicious, thank you so much," Raven said. Wintergreen took the plate out from in front of her and replaced it with a small bowl of soup.

"Italian Wedding Soup," Wintergreen said. "A favorite of mine and the master's."

Each time Raven finished a plate, it was replaced with another. After the soup, she was given cooked salmon, followed by a piece of chicken with a lemon sauce, then creamed carrots, roasted asparagus, and finally some pudding.

"I've never seen so much food in my life," Raven said. She had been full for a while now, but Wintergreen insisted she taste each course.

"Would you like some coffee or tea with your dessert?" Wintergreen asked as he placed a plate of two chocolate covered strawberries in front of her.

"A tea would be wonderful," Raven replied.

"Is it one lump or two?"

"No sugar, please," Raven replied. "Can I help you clean up?"

"No no," Wintergreen replied. "It's our pleasure. It's truly just good to be useful. It's been, what, ten years since anyone's been here."

"Well, thank you," Raven said quietly.

"I am so glad you enjoyed," Wintergreen replied. The clock above the fireplace chimed one in the morning, and Wintergreen jumped up. "My, my. So late already. Well, off to bed."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep," Raven replied. "Is it alright if I look around?"

"Oh. Sure, would you like a tour?" Wintergreen offered, standing up.

"I prefer to be alone," Raven said. She stood up from the dining table.

"Of course," Wintergreen replied. "You know where to find me if you need."

Raven dismissed herself from the dining room and explored the mansion alone. Mostly, she silently hovered through the dark hallways alone to ensure Wintergreen was not following her. Once she was sure, Raven slipped up the stairs towards the forbidden west wing.

The west wing was a dark hall with three doors: one at the end, one on the left, and one on the right. The floor was carpeted with the same thick carpet that covered the hall outside of Raven's bedroom. Unlike the rest of the mansion, where the large windows were covered and lights remained off, this wing had no windows or lights at all. The walls did not feature the extravagant paintings of landscapes or portraits, or busts and statues. It was bare and dark. Raven went to the door on her right first and phased through it.

The room was a study. Dusty bookshelves lined the walls with thick leather-bound volumes on every shelf. Across the room, the back wall had a fireplace in the center. Raven could smell that it had been lit recently, but the light from the fire was long gone now. She walked through the room, looking at the books, but nothing stood out as being of interest. The mansion was full of portraits, and this room was an exception. A single canvas painting hung above the fireplace mantel. Unlike the finely kept paintings of the household, this one was ripped down the center. Half of a young man's face stared back at Raven with a single blue eye. Raven used her magic to pull the ripped pieces of the canvas gently back into place. She recreated the face of a young man with brown hair to his shoulders, slightly curled at the ends. He had thick eyebrows and a goatee over his square jaw. His cheekbones were well defined, but the biggest standout was his striking blue eyes. They stared straight out of the painting, and Raven stared back, levitating in the air to look closer. The look of those blue eyes were so familiar. She couldn't help but wonder if this painting was of Slade himself.

Raven stepped away from the painting. She didn't have time to waste on the artwork. In the darkness, Raven moved around the room until she stood in front of the oak desk. Her hands shuffled through the clutter of newspaper articles on the desk, most of which were about the Titans. She lifted up one news article that Slade had clipped out titled "Local Heroes Save Tokyo". Under the headline, there was a photo of the full team. The five Teen Titans, including Raven, were together with Tokyo's mayor. Raven folded the page and tucked it into her leotard.

She pulled open the drawer in the center of the desk. The drawer was littered with pens, crumpled and wrinkled notes, and several folders. Raven pulled the first folder out, a manila folder labeled: "Rose".

Raven placed the folder down on the desk and opened it. It was full of several papers, but at the top was a photo of a blonde toddler. The girl had her hair in pigtails, and her blue eyes were squinting with laughter. Her arms were raised up like she was asking an adult to lift her. Like the folder itself, the photo had the word "Rose" scribbled onto the corner. Raven reached for the photo, wanting to examine in closer.

A gloved hand grabbed her wrist, pushing Raven away from the photograph. Slade slammed the folder closed, pushing himself between Raven and the desk, his blue eye glaring at Raven. He towered over her, stepping closer. "Why did you come in here?"

"I -"

"I warned you never to come in here!" Slade yelled.

"I didn't mean -" Raven stared. Slade took the news articles from the desk throwing them towards her. He reached out, grasping for something more substantial to toss, and his hand closed around a glass paperweight. He threw it and it shattered against the wall to Raven's left.

"Stop!" Raven yelled, her magic shielding her from the glass shards.

"GET OUT!" Slade yelled. He swung his fist towards Raven and she ducked before phasing through the floor. She fell through the ceiling of the room below them and scrambled to her feet, running through the front door of the mansion. Raven's pale hands grasped the brass handle, turning the lock and pulling the door. The cool autumn breeze blew in from the front yard, and Raven inhaled the night air, standing in the doorway.

She couldn't leave. Raven stood with the door open, staring at the overgrown stone path towards the rusty gate, but she couldn't go. Slade still had the ability to control Cyborg. Raven pushed the front door closed and pulled her hood up, levitating up the stairs and down the hallway, where she locked herself in her assigned room.


	11. The Wolves

The coming months brought cold winter storms, and before long, the weeds and dead plants surrounding the mansion were covered by a foot of snow. Raven had gotten used to keeping to herself. Every morning, she would take breakfast in the dining room, and Wintergreen would often stay to chat for a short while, while Fiona stopped by her room to fluff the pillows and make sure she had enough to wear. As much as Raven enjoyed quiet, having their company from time to time was nice. Once Fiona and Wintergreen finished their business, the mansion was very lonely. Slade did his best to avoid Raven ever since the incident in the west wing. Each night at exactly seven, Wintergreen would knock on the door to invite Raven to dinner, and each night she would decline to join him. Occasionally, Wintergreen would let her know that tomorrow she would accompany Slade on a mission, and that became the only time Raven saw Slade.

Over the few months they worked together, the crimes had been small. The HIVE broke a contract with Slade, and so Raven accompanied him to pay a visit and threaten them to ensure it didn't happen again. Then, Slade and Raven stole some ammo from a military unit in the next town over. Several weeks ago, they broke into a building in the city to steal a disk. Slade refused to tell Raven what was on it.

Raven mediated at her window on a particularly sunny afternoon when Wintergreen knocked on her door. "May I interrupt?"

"What's going on?" Raven replied. She lowered herself closer towards the ground and placed her feet down to stand.

"Master Slade would like for you to accompany him tonight, in full uniform, for a mission in the city."

"Alright," Raven agreed.

* * *

At nine at night, Raven made her way down the steps towards the entrance to the mansion where Slade was waiting. She wore the orange cape that Fiona had sewn for her, and fastened it with the round "S" pin to match Slade's own uniform.

"Tonight we will be breaking into Jump City high school," Slade said. "With their advanced security system, know that there is a good chance we will run into the Titans. I expect you not to hold back."

"What is the goal of the mission?" Raven asked.

"I need a file from the school's computer. You will be responsible for keeping any police or Titans away from me while I get it." Slade pulled open the door the mansion. "Understood?"

"Yes." Raven followed him out.

The school was dark, and Slade avoided turning on any lights so they wouldn't attract attention. He had planned well, knowing the layout of the school perfectly. They went directly to the principle's office and Slade sat down to get to work on the computer.

"I always thought you could use a little more education," Robin's voice called. He stepped into the doorway of the office, staff drawn.

"Raven, keep them busy." Slade barely glanced up from the computer he was typing on. Raven surrounded Robin with magic and tossed him into the hallway, flying out after him. The rest of the team was waiting.

"Raven!" Starfire called, flying forward and wrapping Raven into a hug. "We are so glad to see you unharmed."

Raven pushed Starfire away gently. "My job is to keep you away from Slade," Raven admitted. "If you just stay here, we don't have to fight."

"What's he planning?" Robin asked.

"I don't know," Raven replied. "He's working with the HIVE. We have been gathering ammo, and he stole a CD disk from Luther Corporations recently. That's all I have to work with."

"Are you okay?" Robin stepped forward, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Is he hurting you?"

"He mostly keeps to himself, honestly… It's - it's not so bad. I miss you, though," Raven admitted.

"We miss you too, Rae," Cyborg said.

"Why are we just standing here?" Beast Boy asked. "Let's get in there. Fight him together! We could take him down right now." Beast Boy ran towards the entrance to the office, and Raven put up a wall of magic so he couldn't' get through.

"I can't let you in," Raven said.

"Who's side are you on?" Beast Boy said back.

"His." Raven used the magic to push Beast Boy away from the entrance. "That's the whole point."

"I'm sorry, Raven, but we can't just stand here," Robin said. "We have to try to stop him."

"Do what you have to," Raven replied.

"Titans - Go!" Robin called. He ran forward for the entrance, but Raven was already blocking him. Starfire, following Robin's lead, blasted starbolts at the door, but the green blasts weren't enough to break through Raven's magic. Cyborg loaded his cannon, but he only held the charge, not actually shooting.

Beast Boy had run forward again, trying different shapes to attempt to get around her magic: an elephant charging through, a fly looking for a crack, an ant to crawl under.

Slade appeared back in the doorway. "We're ready, Raven."

At the same time, a group of young girls, only 6-7 years old, appeared at the other end of the hallway. They each wore green sashes over their shoulders that were decorated with various badges. "Get back!" Robin called to the crowd of kids. Instead of retreating down the hallway, they scattered.

Slade ran forward, using Robin's distraction to knock him to the ground. The two began two spar until Slade got the uphand. "Raven," he called, and Raven flew to his side. "Shield up."

At his command, Raven rose a bubble of her magic around them both. "Did you get what you needed?" Raven asked.

"Yes, you can teleport us home." As Slade spoke, one of Starfire's blasts hit Raven's shield and bounce off, flying towards one of the young girls. Raven dropped the barrier, conjuring another to protect the child, but Slade jumped forward first. He put his own body ahead of the child and took the hit of Starfire's blast, pushing the child out of the way.

"Raven - home, now!" Slade commanded. Raven surrounded them both with magic and teleported them away from the school. They landed in front of the mansion, where Slade fell to the floor.

"Are…. you okay?" Raven asked. Slade was clutching his side where Starfire's blast had hit him, and he was breathing deeply.

"Fine," Slade said through his teeth. "Get Wintergreen."

"Hang on," Raven said. "Let's get you inside first."

"I said - get Wintergreen."

"You want to sit out in the snow, alone, injured?" Raven asked. "If you sit still, I can heal you."

"How?" Slade asked.

Raven's hands lit up with magic and she leaned forward, her hands hovering slightly above him. "Why did you defend that girl?"

"I would never hurt a child," Slade replied.

Raven looked up at his mask, raising an eyebrow with suspicion. "But teenagers are fine?"

"If they're in my way."

Raven's magic moved gently over Slade's side. "Is that better?" Raven asked.

Slade took a deep breath, rubbing the spot he had hurt. "Much… thank you."

"I think that's the first genuine thing you've said to me," Raven said.

Slade began to stand up, stretching as he did. "Don't get used to it."

"Thank you," Raven said. "For blocking the girl."

"Don't get used to it," Slade repeated as he walked inside. Raven followed him into the house, but he was already half way up the stairs by the time she closed the front door, and so she went to her assigned room to sleep for the night.

* * *

The next morning, Raven took breakfast in the dining room. Wintergreen had prepared scrambled eggs with some fresh fruit, and the two sat together at the head of the table while Raven flipped through the morning paper.

"There was a girl scout troop doing a school-house camp-out," Raven said over the top of the paper. "That's why there were children there last night."

"Ah," Wintergreen replied. "Yes, Master Slade wouldn't have accounted for that."

"Would he have cared?" Raven asked.

Wintergreen sipped his tea, and nodded. "Yes. Slade has done many things in his life, but he does not harm children."

"He considers the Titans to be his worst enemies," Raven replied. "We are a group of children."

"Teenagers," Wintergreen corrected.

"So, what is the cut off then? 12? 13?"

"I know you and Master Slade don't exactly see eye to eye," Wintergreen said carefully. "He does not take pleasure in fighting children, or teenagers, but the he sees the Titans as getting in the way of his plans. That doesn't mean he wants to hurt children though."

"I still don't see a difference," Raven replied.

"After he lost Rose, he's always been-" Wintergreen paused as Raven sat up, becoming more attentive. "It would seem I've said too much," Wintergreen said.

"Rose is the blonde girl he keeps the pictures of," Raven said. "Did she die?"

"No," Wintergreen replied. "Her mother took her away."

"And she is... Slade's daughter?" Raven guessed.

"She was," Wintergreen replied. "He hasn't been able to find or see her in years now. She doesn't even know him."

"I can't say I blame her," Raven said. "Rose's mother."

"Slade was not always like this, my dear," Wintergreen said as he packed up the tea. "Everything he does is for his family. He would give anything to find them."

"Blowing up Jump City isn't going to magically reveal where she is," Raven replied.

"There's much more that you do not know about Master Slade," Wintergreen said. As Wintergreen finished speaking, the dining room door opened and Slade walked in.

"Breakfast, sir?" Wintergreen asked. He jumped away from Raven, hurrying to fetch a extra plate.

"And coffee, Wintergreen." Slade called after him. Slade slumped into the chair on the opposite end of the table. As with any time Slade is in the room, Raven's empathetic powers felt waves of anger, rage, and fury coming from him. Even when he was calm, Raven still felt them there, just waiting to resurface.

As Slade took the mug of coffee from Wintergreen, for the first time Raven pushed her powers to dig a little deeper, and under all the hatred, Raven felt genuine sorrow coming from Slade. Raven turned back to her newspaper and breakfast silently, but part of her wanted to ask Wintergreen what it was that she did not know about the masked man across the table.


	12. Something There

Night had fallen, and the dining room's fireplace was well light. Slade sat at the end of the table, while Wintergreen stood nearby. Slade slammed his glass down onto the dining table, and Wintergreen silently refilled it.

"They transferred him months ago," Slade said. "How could I have been so far behind?"

"You will find him, sir," Wintergreen replied. "Perhaps, with Raven here, she could-"

"She barely follows orders," Slade replied. "Besides," Slade shoved a folder towards Wintergreen. "I wouldn't even be able to talk to him. And there was no information on her."

Wintergreen opened the folder and began to look over the pages inside. "You knew he couldn't talk," Wintergreen said.

"I was going to find a way to communicate," Slade replied, his tone bitter.

"Sir, sign language is a way to communicate," Wintergreen said.

"How am I supposed to learn another language?" Slade asked.

The door creaked open, silencing them both, and Raven stepped inside, a cup of tea in her hands. "I heard shouting," Raven said. "Is everything okay?"

"Fine," Slade replied.

"What language do you want to learn?" Raven asked.

"This is none of your business," Slade said.

"I speak seven languages, I might be able to help." Raven sat down at the table, watching Slade and Wintergreen exchange a look.

When Slade did not reply, Wintergreen turned away from him. "American Sign Language," Wintergreen said to Raven.

Raven nodded. "I'm not fluent, but I know a bit. What do you need to know how to say?"

"Everything," Wintergreen said. Slade threw up his hand in anger.

"Enough, this is not a discussion that Raven is to be a part of," Slade replied.

Raven ignored Slade's outburst. " I can show you some of the basics. Greetings, family, food, colors, animals…"

"Why?" Slade asked.

"Why what?" Raven replied.

"Why would you help?" Slade stood up and walked around the table until he stood directly in front of her. "Why would you help me?"

"We made a deal," Raven said. "And I'd much rather help you learn a language then then rob a bank or blow up a bridge, but if you don't want my help then I'll go."

Slade stared at Raven intently for a moment, then he nodded. "Alright. Show me what you know."

"Let's start with the alphabet," Raven said. "It's best to learn the letters out of order."

Slade sat down across from Raven and they worked into the night fingerspelling words. "Hello". "Ok". "Dog". "Car". "Rabbit". "Slade". "Wintergreen". "Raven".

The clock above the fireplace chimed 1am, and Wintergreen, who had been bringing refreshments as they worked, finally dismissed himself for the night while serving Raven a final cup of tea, and Slade a small glass of whiskey.

Raven lifted her hand and signed out the letters for: "Why do you want to learn sign language?"

"Efficiency," Slade said aloud, sipping his whiskey. "In the military, we learned Morse code to communicate, but sign language wouldn't draw any attention. No sound."

"You should sign back to me," Raven replied. "If you don't practice you won't remember it."

Slade signed back the letters "o" "k", then downed the rest of the whiskey. "It's late, we can resume this tomorrow," Slade spoke aloud again.

"Alright," Raven replied. "What's the real reason you want to know, though?"

Slade was already heading for the doorway to leave the room, but he paused and turned back around.

"You were so defensive when I offered to help. I know it's more personal than strategy." Raven stood up to leave as well, staring Slade down for an answer.

"I don't ask you about your personal life," Slade replied.

"What personal life?" Raven asked. "You keep me locked here."

"I don't lock you anywhere."

"But I'm not allowed to leave," Raven said. "If you told me why you wanted to learn, I can make sure I teach you the relevant signs for the task."

Slade stared at Raven for a moment in silence. Raven stood her ground, staring back. She could feel the waves of anger coming from him, with the hint of sorrow that she had found several weeks ago still buried under his rage. Then Slade pulled the chair back out from the table and sat down again, leaning forward.

"I know you read the file on Rose that was in my study," Slade said. "Rose is my daughter, and I also have a son, Joseph. When the kids were young worked with the US military and I rose through the ranks. I did well enough to get on the radar of a terrorist group in Qurac. They knew I would have classified information and so they took my son, Joseph. They thought Joseph would know something, or at least I would trade information to get my son back. Instead, I killed every single one of them." Slade paused, and then with a deep breath he continued. "I was too late. Joseph's throat got cut during the fight and while he survived, the doctors said he would be mute forever. My ex-wife swore the kids would never be allowed near me again. I had to go through military hearings and clearances, and by the time I got back, the kids were already long gone, both Joseph and Rose."

"What about your wife?" Raven asked.

"She stuck around long enough to shoot me in the eye and hand me divorce papers," Slade replied.

Raven glanced at the dark side of Slade's mask, the side that had no eye. "So that's why…" Raven mumbled mostly to herself. Slade must have heard her though, or at least noticed her looking, because he turned his head away from her to hide the dark side of his face.

Raven tried to move on with the conversation, looking away from Slade's mask. "So - the sign language?"

"According to the file I stole from Jump City High School, Joseph was transferred out months ago. It was not noted where he transferred to, but it did say that he uses American Sign Language to communicate now." Slade passed the file over to Raven.

Raven picked up the folder and opened it, flipping through its pages. The file read "Joseph W. Wilson" at the top, blonde hair, green eyes. As Raven read the file, she asked: "How does attacking the town help you with all of this?"

"I stuck a deal with the leader of Qurac," Slade admitted. "He wants to see this city taken down. As long as I am working on his behalf, my family is safe."

"Why not tell the Titans this?" Raven asked.

"Because he wants the Titans dead. If there was even an ounce of thought that I was working with the Titans, he would have my family taken out." Slade sat back in his chair.

"You're working with me though," Raven pointed out. "How is that any different?"

"It's different," Slade said. "If I got an apprentice to continue my work for me that my children will be protected even if I died."

Raven continued to eye Slade suspiciously. "You've worked with us before though."

"When Trigon destroyed the world, yes. Qurac was turned to stone, just like Jump City was. There was no way for them to know. You wanted to know why I was learning sign language, now you do." Slade stood up suddenly, and pushed his chair under the table.

Raven hesitated for only a moment before standing up as well. "I find it hard to believe that all your acts of violence were committed out of love for your family," Raven said. She stood across the table, staring at Slade for a reaction.

"I haven't killed anyone, have I?" Slade replied. "I've saved all of you more than one."

"You once threw me off a building," Raven replied. She struggled to keep the anger out of her voice. "You ripped up my clothes. You helped my father force me to do _horrible_ things."

"You father offered me my life back," Slade said. "I had no choice."

"You had every choice," Raven nearly yelled back. She took a deep breath, returning to her usual monotone. "I can sense emotions, Slade. You are angry all of the time. Your violent acts aren't done for your son. You do them because you are so filled with rage that you don't have any better way to express."

"If I wanted you dead-" Slade started.

" _You'd_ be dead," Raven replied. "I am ten times more powerful than you are. I could destroy you before you took one step closer to me. This entire city could be gone before you so much as blinked. I know rage, Slade, and I know what it does to people. You can tell yourself that everything you do is out of love for your family, but the truth is that you are an angry, bitter old man with nothing better to do then beat up teenagers. The very same teenagers who would put their lives on the line to protect your son if Qurac did show up to harm him."

Raven flew up and phased through the ceiling before Slade could reply. He stood in the dining room alone, clutching the ends of the wooden chair until his knuckles hurt.


	13. The Library

Slade came down late for breakfast the next morning. In truth, he was hoping Raven would have already finished eating and that she'd have retreated back to her room. To his disappointment, she was seated in her usual chair in the dining room with a cup of tea still steaming in front of her. Papers were spread across the tabletop.

"You're late," Raven said as Slade walked in. "I can't teach you signs if you are going to be late to your lessons."

"Wintergreen," Slade called, ignoring her. "Breakfast, please." He moved around the table to the opposite end, taking his usual seat across the room.

"Breakfast," Raven repeated. She put her hand to her mouth, and then crossed one arm over the other, folding the bottom one up towards her face. "It's a combination of the signs _eat_ and _morning_."

"I'll learn sign language on my own," Slade replied, taking a seat across from Raven.

"That will take you significantly longer," Raven warned. She sipped her tea, looking up at his mask to wait for his response.

"I'm in no rush," Slade replied. "I don't even know where my son is, so there is no hurry to communicate with him."

Raven sat quietly for a moment, and then she lifted up the folder that Slade had shown her last night. She pulled out Joseph's picture, and turned it for Slade to see. "Your son is in China," Raven said slowly. "Rose isn't with him."

Slade jumped to his feet. "What?"

"When you showed me this file yesterday, I recognized him. I've met him," Raven said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Slade yelled.

"Because, the Titans have worked with him in the past. He's a hero, and for all I know, your entire story is a lie," Raven replied calmly.

"A hero?" Slade asked.

Raven ignored Slade's question. "I need to know that I can trust you - or at least that everything you said last night was true."

"It was," Slade replied. "Now tell me where my son is."

"I can't just take your word for it," Raven said.

"What do you want me to do?" Slade asked.

"Let me see for myself," Raven replied.

"What does that mean?" Slade asked.

"I can use my powers and see your mind. You wouldn't be able to hide anything from me and I would know for sure that you have no intention to harm Joseph. Once I am positive you won't hurt him, I'll take you there." Raven held out her hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Slade glared at her, clenching his fist. "No," Slade replied. "I'll find my son on my own."

"Don't be stupid. He could move again before you are able to do that," Raven replied. "He wasn't transferred out of the school system months ago, it was over a year ago. You are three steps behind. No one is going to give you a chance to catch up except for me."

"I will think about it," Slade said. He took a seat at the table across from her. "In the meantime, we can continue our lessons."

"Fine," Raven replied. She sat back down and returned to her tea.

* * *

Robin and Starfire sat on the couch in the Titan's living room watching Cyborg and Beast Boy race each other in a video game. Cyborg's car was in the lead and Beast Boy was aggressively slamming buttons on his controller trying to get ahead.

"No use, little man," Cyborg said as the finish line came into sight. "You can't stop the Cy!" Cyborg's car sped over the line and Cyborg threw his controller up in celebration. "Booyah. Cyborg 13, Beast Boy 2."

"You always start ahead of me!" Beast Boy complained.

"Cause I always finish ahead of you," Cyborg replied.

The debate was silenced by a chime ringing through the tower. _Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-doo_. Cyborg looked to Robin questioningly. "Who rings the doorbell?" Cyborg asked.

"Did someone order pizza?" Robin asked. Everyone shook their heads. Curiously, the group ventured down to the main floor of the tower and pulled open one of the large steel doors.

A lanky young man stood in the doorway, with long legs and square shoulders. He had smooth, clear brown skin and nervous golden brown eyes. He stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and his jacket's hood pulled over the brown curls that were falling in his face.

"Uh, hi there," Robin said while the rest of the team peered over Robin's shoulder to see their visitor.

"Hello," the man said, his eyes shifting between the different Titans. "Is, um, is Raven home?"

Robin glanced back over his shoulder at the rest of the team before turning back. "No, she's not. Why do you ask?"

"I haven't heard from her in a while now and I was just getting worried… I thought maybe something had happened…"

"I'm Robin." Robin extended his gloved hand towards the stranger.

"Lucas," the man replied, grasping Robin's hand and shaking it. "I work in the library in town."

"No wonder you know Raven," Beast Boy mumbled.

"I am really worried about her," Lucas replied.

"Please, friend, come inside," Starfire offered, stepping back to let Lucas enter. They led him upstairs to the common room. Together, they filled Lucas in on what happened regarding Raven's disappearance.

"We've been trying to keep it out of the media," Robin admitted as they finished the story.

"She's okay though? You've seen her?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," Cyborg said. "We've run into her a couple of times now. She's healthy and unharmed. She's as okay as she can be, given the situation."

"What are we doing to find her?" Lucas asked.

"We are doing all that we can," Starfire promised. She reached out and grabbed Lucas's hand. "Raven is our friend. We want nothing more than for her to return home safely."

"Is there any way that I can help?" Lucas looked at the team. "Anything I can do?"

"If there is anything, we will let you know," Robin promised. "And if you need anything, our door is always open. Any friend of Raven's is a friend of ours."

"Yeah, man, we know this isn't easy," Cyborg said, giving Lucas a pat on the shoulder. "We're here for you if you need it."

* * *

Two weeks later, Slade sat down in his study. "She's a good teacher," Slade said, signing each word as he spoke.

"You seem to be picking up the language fast," Wintergreen agreed. "Have you thought any further about her offer?"

"You know I can't let her in my mind," Slade said. "There's too much in there that she could turn over to the Titans."

"But if you have Joseph back, and if you find Rose, then there's no need for you to keep fighting the Titans," Wintergreen pointed out.

"I know, but there's too much risk involved," Slade said. "There has to be another way to make her to tell me."

"Perhaps, you can try to earn her trust," Wintergreen suggested. "Try being nicer to her."

"I am nice," Slade replied. Wintergreen merely raised an eyebrow in response. "She's kept comfortable, well fed, free to roam the house." He stared at Wintergreen, who silently dusted the shelves of the study with a small smirk on his face. Slade sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Fine, well, what do you suggest I do?"

"She likes to read," Wintergreen said. "You could give her a book. Perhaps a book that means something to you, or you think she will really like, or-"

"Hm…" Slade interrupted. "A book. That...is not a bad idea." Slade stood up rather suddenly and left the room.

He walked through the halls of his mansion towards Raven's door. From the hallway, he could hear her inside murmuring "Azarath Metrion Zinthos" repeatedly. Slade knocked softly, and he the chanting stopped, followed by her soft footsteps across the floor.

Raven pulled the door open, then quickly took a step back. She had obviously been expecting it to be either Wintergreen or Fiona since Slade had never visited her before. "Yes?" Raven said as a form of greeting.

"I thought you might be tired of spending every day in your room," Slade said. "You haven't explored my house very much."

"It's a little late for a tour," Raven replied.

Slade nodded. "No tours, I - I have something I wanted to show you."

Raven raised an eyebrow at him. "...alright," Raven said slowly, stepping out of her room and pulling the door shut behind her. Slade led the way down the hall, and then downstairs. From there, Raven had only ever gone right, towards the dining area, or straight out the front door. Slade went around the stairway, passing the cellar steps Raven saw on her first night, and they entered a part of the house Raven hadn't seen before. The hallway ended at a large double door made of finely carved oak wood. The panels were engraved with roses at every corner of the doors, and Slade stepped forward placing his hands on the brass knobs.

"Close your eyes," he instructed.

"No," Raven replied.

"Suit yourself." Slade pulled the doors open and stepped forward into the room. The curtains were open, flooding the room with natural light. The large windows made up the wall across from them, but every other wall was lined floor to ceiling with books, except for a section in the back of the house where a large fireplace stood. On either side of the fireplace, a staircase led up to the second story balconies, where more books covered the walls.

Raven stood with her eyes wide, turning around in place to see all the books. "These are all yours?" Raven asked.

"Some are from my personal collection. Others have been in the family for generations," Slade replied. "I thought, well, you read the newspaper every day but I thought you might like something else to read…"

"I-" Raven said, but she stopped and nodded. "Thank you for showing this to me."

Slade nodded, glancing up at all the shelves. "Let me know if you need any recommendations. I'll send for Wintergreen to start you a fire and bring some tea." Slade let himself out, shutting the doors behind him. Raven stood in the center of massive library and smiled to herself, flying to the nearest shelf and pulling out the first book.


	14. Tale as Old As Time

Raven sat wrapped in her cloak in front of the library fireplace, the same spot she had been nearly everyday since Slade had shown her the room. She was slowly making her way through the entire library. So far, she was nearly halfway through the column of books. When she wasn't sleeping or helping Slade with sign language, she had the book open in front of her nose.

The library featured large windows that looked out at the back and side of the mansion. Snow had surrounded the house since back in December when Slade stole the file from Jump City High School. January only brought more snowfall, and soon it became impossible to even push open their door. Raven was comfortable and warm in her library chair by the fireplace, but if she woke early enough, she could sometimes catch Wintergreen outside the window shoveling a path.

Raven made her way down to the library in mid-January, stopping on their stairs when she heard Slade yelling in the hall below.

"You'll kill yourself out there," Slade was shouting. "I don't care if there's snow on the paths. I'm the only one who walks that way - leave the snow."

"It's a city law to have your pathways shoveled," Wintergreen replied calmly. "And you're not as young as you think you are. I don't want you slipping on ice while walking in one night."

" _You_ aren't as young as you think you are," Slade argued. In truth, Raven had no idea how old Slade was, but for some reason she imagined that he was much younger than Wintergreen. It was hard to judge though, since Slade always had a mask and suit on. Wintergreen didn't have any disguise - it was clear that he was an old man.

"I order you to stop shoveling the paths," Slade said firmly.

"That's an order I'm afraid I can't follow, sir," Wintergreen replied. "I do hope you'll forgive me."

"Don't disobey me, Wintergreen," Slade said. Raven could hear footsteps walking away, and Slade called: "Come back here - I am talking to you."

When there was a moment of silence, Raven finally finished walking down the steps. She turned the corner to find Slade was still standing there. Anger was radiating from him, and Raven paused for a moment before asking: "Are you okay?"

Slade took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes," Slade replied. "This doesn't concern you." With that, Slade turned up the hallway and walked away.

Raven spent another day in the library, taking her dinner in the library as well. She went to bed early that night, and when she arrived the next morning, she lit herself a fire and curled up in her favorite chair, beginning to read. The movement outside the window caught her eye, and Raven looked up expecting to see a disobedient Wintergreen shoveling snow. Instead, she saw Slade there, shovel in hand, shoveling the snow off the pathway before Wintergreen could.

The library door opened, and Wintergreen brought Raven her usual morning cup of tea.

"Slade's shoveling snow," Raven said quietly.

Wintergreen nodded. "He seems to feel I'm too old to shovel," Wintergreen replied. "I disagree but, he's almost as stubborn as you are, Miss. Raven."

"That's sweet though," Raven replied. "Almost kind of him."

"I think you'll find that Master Slade isn't all so bad, once you get to know him," Wintergreen said.

"He's always been evil," Raven said. "Coarse, unrefined, villainous."

"But he's trying," Wintergreen pointed out. "Trying his best, I think."

Like every other night, Wintergreen knocked on the door promptly at seven in the evening. "Miss. Raven, dinner is being served in the dining room. Shall I bring your plate here this evening?"

Raven looked up from the book in front of her. "I'll meet you in the dining room," Raven replied.

"You- you will be joining Slade for dinner?" Wintergreen asked.

"I was invited, wasn't I?" Raven replied.

Wintergreen nodded. "Of course, I'll set you a place." Wintergreen hurried down the halls towards the dining room where Slade was already waiting, leaning over the fireplace. Wintergreen brushed past him into the kitchen and after disappearing for a few moments, he returned carrying several plates and silverware.

"What are you doing?" Slade asked as Wintergreen set a second place at the table.

"Raven said she will be joining you for dinner this evening," Wintergreen replied.

"Why now?" Slade asked. "For months now she's been so …" he paused to choose the right word, then said: "stubborn about it."

"Being kind to her seems to have been a good plan afterall," Wintergreen replied, placing the last pieces of silverware around the plates. He disappeared into the kitchen again, this time returning with a wine glass and setting it in front of Raven's plate. Just as he finished, the door to the dining room opened and Raven stepped in, shutting the door behind her.

"Nice of you to join me," Slade said. He stepped forward, pulling her chair out for her.

"Don't make me regret it," Raven replied. She sat down, pulling the chair in herself.

"We certainly won't," Wintergreen promised. He claimed both of the salad bowls and took them into the kitchen, leaving Raven and Slade alone.

"What are you reading today?" Slade asked.

"A book on Epistemology," Raven replied. "It's outdated, and parts are in Greek, but it's been interesting."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," Slade said. Wintergreen reappeared, placing a bowl of salad in front of Raven and then crossing the room to place one in front of Slade as well.

The two ate in silence for a bit, and then Raven asked, "So what made you want to join the military?"

Slade chewed on a bite of salad rather slowly, then replied. "I was sixteen and tired of school."

"You can't join the military at sixteen," Raven said.

"You can't, but I lied about my age," Slade replied. "I was a good fighter. They didn't look into it too much."

"What were you running from?" Raven asked.

"I don't run from anything," Slade replied. Wintergreen came out of the kitchen and took their now empty salad bowls away, returning with a plate of chicken and asparagus for each of them. Wintergreen poured wine into Slade's glass, and offered it to Raven, who shook her head no. Once Wintergreen went back into the kitchen, Raven looked up at Slade again.

"So you left your home, all your friends, your family, and your education to join the military at sixteen years old, but you _weren't_ running from something?" Raven asked.

"I don't run from anything," Slade repeated. "I also don't probe you with personal questions."

"I'm just curious," Raven replied.

"What about you, then?" Slade asked. "How was it growing up with Trigion as dear old dad?"

"I didn't," Raven said. "I was raised by the monks of Azarath."

"Where was your mother?" Slade asked.

"I don't know. I met her when I was about ten," Raven explained. "Azar was the head of the monks and when she passed away, the other monks didn't want to raise a demon's child so they sent me back to Arella."

"Arella?"

"My mother," Raven replied. "And your parents?"

"They are both long dead," Slade said. He cut off a large piece of the chicken and pushed it into his mouth.

"Were you close with them?" Raven asked.

"No," Slade replied. "But I was their only child so I got the inheritance anyway."

"Lucky you," Raven replied.

"I thought about what you offered last week," Slade said slowly. "I can't let you see inside my mind."

"I know," Raven replied.

"I don't have any intention of harming my son," Slade continued. "I like to choose when I share stories of my past though. I've never had anyone else in my head and I'd like to keep it that way."

"I understand," Raven replied. "I have had other people in my head before. It's not fun."

"Who was in your head?" Slade asked.

"Beast Boy and Cyborg. It's a long story," Raven replied.

"We've got time," Slade replied. Wintergreen eventually returned, catching the middle of the story explaining how Raven uses a mirror to enhance mediation. He cleared away their dinner plates, and brought out some chocolate and tea for dessert. Long after Wintergreen took the dessert dishes away, Slade and Raven sat at the table talking.

Eventually, the remains of the fire began to die out, and the candles on the table were burning low.

Slade just finished recounting a thrilling story of a mission he went on in Korea when he was young, and the two sat in silence after hours of conversation.

"We should head to bed," Slade said finally. "It's almost dawn."

"That's a good plan," Raven agreed. Neither of them moved for a moment, then Slade shifted his empty glass in front of him.

"I'll clear these," Slade said, taking his own and standing up to get Raven's empty teacup.

"He's in Tibet, living in the mountains," Raven said suddenly. Slade sat back down, waiting for Raven to continue. "Joseph goes by Jericho now. He was in town last year to help us fight the Brain."

"He works with the Titans, then?" Slade asked.

"No," Raven replied. "Not officially. He doesn't like to fight unless he absolutely has to, he considers himself a pacifist. I only met him for a few hours, but he seems to love music."

"Really?" Slade said. Raven nodded in reply. Slade smiled. "He was such a talented singer when he was a child. I'm glad that he didn't give up on music."

"It'll be hard to pinpoint him exactly," Raven admitted. "He wanders the mountains, from what I remember, he doesn't have a permanent home."

"Where's his mother?" Slade asked.

"We didn't really ask," Raven replied. "We aren't in a position to be asking teenagers where their parents are."

"That is fair," Slade said. "Thank you for telling me."

"If you try to hurt him, I will kill you," Raven replied.

Slade chuckled. "I have no doubt you will. I have no plans to hurt him."

Raven nodded. "I'm going to bed, then. If you end up leaving for Tibet, make sure you leave a note or something."

"I won't be leaving tomorrow. Soon, though, I think." Slade picked up the dishes from the table. He began to head towards the kitchen, and then he stopped, dishes still in hand, and turned back to her. "Are you happy here?"

Raven raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I'm a prisoner," Raven reminded him.

"I am aware," Slade replied. "I only mean, is there anything I could do to make you more comfortable? At home?"

"This is not my home, Slade," Raven said firmly. "This is a prison."

Slade nodded, more to himself than to her. "When my children are safe, when my hands are no longer tied -"

Raven shook her head, and Slade fell silent. "Don't make me a promise you can't keep," Raven said. "Goodnight, Slade."

"Goodnight, Raven."


	15. Evermore

Slade knocked on Raven's door. On the other side, he could hear her shuffling out of bed and making her way over until, finally, the door was pulled open. "Hello?" Raven said, still wiping sleep out of her eyes.

"Were you still sleeping?" Slade asked. "It's nearly nine thirty."

"We were up still four," Raven replied. "How are you so awake?"

"Coffee. May I come in?"

Raven stepped aside to allow Slade into her room and strode to the window, looking out at the snow covering the yard.

"How early did you wake up?" Raven asked, following her question with a yawn.

"I didn't sleep," Slade replied. "I spent all night looking into Tibet and ways to find Joseph."

"Any luck?" Raven asked.

"It's hard to tell. There's a lot of rules on entering Tibet. It's nearly impossible to get in without a visa," Slade explained. "Which is why we are going to break into City Hall this evening."

"I assume actually applying for a visa is out of the question?" Raven asked.

"I am on several no-fly lists," Slade replied. "We're going to break in, and find the Bureau of Consular Affairs, which should be the east wing, second floor. Fiona should be here soon to help you get ready."

"Get ready?" Raven asked.

"You'll need a disguise," Slade explained. "We need to pass as civilians to get on the plane."

"Right…" Raven replied.

"We'll go after hours. City Hall should be empty, and we will be in and out," Slade promised.

"City Hall has a security team on staff, they work overnight," Raven replied.

"We can get past them."

"Or…" Raven said. She moved over to her desk and flipped through a few pages of yesterday's newspaper. "We wait until Friday morning." Raven held up an article that read: "City Hall Press Conference for New Waterfront Site".

"Nicely done, Raven," Slade said, taking the article from her.

"Security will be outside with the mayor. If I teleport us inside, we should have no trouble getting in and out unseen," Raven said.

* * *

Fiona stopped in on Friday to help with the disguise. For Raven, step one was covering her gray skin with enough makeup to pass as a human skin tone. Fiona pulled all of Raven's hair back, pinning her hair up to place a wig over her the blue, so that brown curls rolled over her shoulders.

"Does this come off, dear?" Fiona asked, pointing to the chakra stone on Raven's forehead.

"If you want to unleash hell," Raven replied.

Fiona frowned. "Well we can just cover it then," Fiona said, adjusting and cutting the wig to give Raven thick bangs.

Contacts were places in Raven's eyes to make them brown instead of purple. She was given a black blouse, with a tan blazer over it and matching pants. "You'll blend right in at City Hall," Fiona promised.

A knock came gently on the door and Slade's voice called: "Are you ready?"

"We are," Fiona replied.

The door opened, and Slade stepped in. Instead of his uniform and mask, he had clear, fair skin. Black hair parted on the left and brushed over to fall flat on the sides of his head, and he had stubble growing in on his face. For the first time since Raven had met him, he had two eyes, although one was clearly fake. While his left eye would move to look around the room, the right eye stared straight ahead. He was dressed in a business suit, with a red tie and a blue jacket.

"Raven, to City Hall please." Slade said. Fiona stepped away, and Raven surrounded them both with her magic, teleporting them to the second floor of the City Hall building. As expected, the hall was empty. Raven could hear the distant crowd cheering as the mayor was announced, and she moved to a window, peering out to see the front of the building.

"We made good time," Raven said as the mayor approached the podium below. "They are just getting started."

Slade was moving through the hallway looking for the correct door. "This one," Slade said, pointing to the sign on the door reading "Bureau of Consular Affairs". Slade tried the handle, but it was locked.

"Stand back," Raven said, and Slade obeyed. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Raven's eyes lit up and she extended her arm, with magic flowing from it, surrounding the door handle. She flicked her wrist and the door clicked unlocked.

Below, she could hear the mayor on the microphone. "Thank you for joining us here today," the mayor was saying. Slade was digging through a filing cabinet in the corner while Raven watched the doors. The mayor's voice echoed through the halls: "It is with great joy that we announce the start of construction on the Waterfront Acre 291."

Slade was turning on the photo booth that was setup in the application it was powered up, Slade gestured for Raven to come over.

"Ladies first," Slade offered. Raven took a seat in front of the camera, and Slade snapped a picture of her in her disguise. Then they traded places.

The mayor was outside, lecturing about how important education is to the city and how the Waterfront Lot will be a wonderful new academy for the students of Jump City. Slade moved to the computer and was filling out the paperwork.

"What do you want your name to be?" Slade asked.

"Rachel," Raven replied. "Rachel Roth."

Slade's fingers clicked against the keyboard. "And occupation?"

"Student?" Raven suggested.

"That'll do," Slade replied. "Just remember that you're over 18 if anyone asks."

Outside, the crowd cheered loudly in response to the mayor's promise to make education a top priority for the city. Raven pulled the curtain open, peaking outside. The mayor was staring straight ahead as he spoke, his arms raised on either side of him like he was a priest leading a prayer. As he spoke, his entire body stood perfectly still aside from his mouth forming the words. "The Waterfront Academy will focus on teaching our children leadership, strength, and resourcefulness. Unlike Jump City High School, where students work to achieve good grades, Waterfront will be a community to foster learning, rather than merely achieving an A."

"Something is wrong," Raven said, looking over her shoulder at Slade.

"Construction on our new school will start today," the mayor continued. "And now, without further adieu, I wish to introduce you to the man responsible for this brilliant plan. The founder, financial backer, and headmaster of the Waterfront Academy. I am truly delighted to present, Mr. Sebastian Blood." The crowd cheered as the mayor took two steps back, allowing a new man to take the stage.

"What is going on?" Slade asked.

"The mayor is acting strange," Raven replied. Slade appeared behind her, peering over her head out the window as the mayor stood, stiff as a post and staring at the new speaker: an older man with short white hair and a receding hairline. He had a narrow, familiar face hidden behind thick rimmed glasses.

"This academy will be the finest institution of Jump City," the man said. His eyes began to glow red from beneath his glasses. "You will send your children to train with us."

"This isn't our concern," Slade said. He turned back to the computer and went back to typing. "I'm sure the Titans will be here soon." Slade finished the document files and began to print the information onto the passports. "Let's go," Slade said.

"Wait," Raven said quietly. She recognized the man behind those glasses: Brother Blood. Raven was leaning against the window, ignoring Slade now, as she watched Brother Blood hypnotize the crowd below.

"What are we waiting for?" Slade asked. "We have what we came for."

"I just…" Raven began, but her voice trailed away.

"You want to see them," Slade said.

"It's been a few months," Raven replied. "I just want to see their faces."

"Very well," Slade replied. He moved beside her, and they both looked out the window. "I'm surprised they aren't already here - they are so prompt whenever I cause trouble."

"They might be waiting for civilians to leave," Raven suggested. "The crowd is too large to just jump in, someone might get hurt."

Brother Blood finished gloating about his new school, and the crowd applauded. Blood raised a hand to silence everyone. "And now, in honor of this monuments occasion, Waterfront Academy has a final gift to the people of Jump City." Blood gestured to the left of the stage. Mammoth came up first, forcing Cyborg forward. Cyborg's arms were detached, and he was pushed to his knees in front of the crowd. See-more came out next, with his green helmet projecting a yellow sphere around Beast Boy and Starfire, who was thrashing against it's walls. Two versions of Billy Numerous came out, carrying Robin by the forearms. Robin's wrists were bound behind his back, and his ankles bound as well.

"I give you," Brother Blood proclaimed, "the end of the Teen Titans!" The crowds eyes glowed red as they cheered.

"He's going to kill them," Raven said, her eyes wide.

Slade was pressed against the glass, looking down at the crowd. "Go," Slade said.

"What?" Raven replied.

"I release you," Slade said. "You are no longer my apprentice. Go to them."

"You are letting me go?" Raven asked.

"There isn't time to waste," Slade said. "Go!"

"Thank you," Raven said. She placed her hand on Slade's shoulder. "Thank you, Slade." With that, she surrounded herself in her magic, disappearing through the floor until all that remained was the wig and tan jacket that Fiona had given her. Slade lifted up the wig and jacket and folded them away. He glanced out the window to see Raven's magic tossing See-More's helmet over the crowd, freeing Starfire and Beast Boy from See-More's trap.

* * *

Wintergreen greeted Slade at the entrance to the mansion. "You're home later than expected," Wintergreen said. "I was getting worried… where is Raven?"

"I let her go," Slade said quietly. "I won't be needing dinner tonight, Wintergreen."

"Let her..go?" Wintergreen asked. "What about - I thought you needed an apprentice to show Qurac?"

"I am hoping I find Joseph and Rose before it comes to that," Slade replied. Slade pushed passed Wintergreen and made his way up the stairs. "You are dismissed for the night, my friend. Enjoy your evening."

"Sir?" Wintergreen said. Slade didn't turn around. He reached his study and closed the door behind him, shutting out the light from the hallway. The study had always been Slade's place for solitude, but tonight, he did not enjoy the peaceful solitude. Slade only felt lonely.


	16. Kill the Beast

Back in Titan's Tower, with Brother Blood returned to the federal prison, the rescued Titans surrounded Raven in their living room. Raven stood, having shed her "civilian" disguise from sneaking into the mayor's office. Instead, she stood in her leotard, still wearing Slade's "S" seal where the center gem would otherwise me. The team stared at her for several minutes, their expressions full of disbelief that their friend was here.

"Raven," Robin said, pulling her into a hug. "We thought we'd never see you again."

"How did you escape?" Cyborg asked.

"I didn't escape," Raven said. "He let me go."

" _Slade_ let you go?" Robin asked.

Starfire nodded beside Robin. "Slade is far too cruel to do such a thing," Starfire said.

"There's a lot we didn't know..." Raven said. Slade was a bad guy, there was no denying that after all he has done, but ultimately he had his reasons… as misguided as he may be.

"Where was he holding you?" Robin asked.

"He has a mansion in the forest," Raven admitted.

"That makes sense," Cyborg said. "When he was holding me in that cell, I remember seeing a lot of trees as he dragged me in, not that you say it, it's coming back to me…"

Starfire placed her hand on Cyborg' shoulder to comfort him. "Friend, you are safe now. If you can remember more..."

"That cold, damp cell was in the basement… is that where he kept you too?" Cyborg asked.

"No," Raven replied. "I was free to roam the house… I had my own room, access to the library…"

"A large prison," Cyborg replied. He wasn't wrong.

The elevator opened, and Lucas stepped into the room staring at Raven. His short curls stuck out in every directions and he stood, eyes wide, staring at her. "Raven," he said breathlessly. "You're back."

"I- yeah," Raven said. She stared back at him. _What is he doing here?_ Raven wondered. The others did not seem confused or surprised. No one asked who he was. _He must have come here looking for me,_ Raven realized. They must all know each other at this point.

Lucas finally pulls his eyes off Raven, and looked to Robin. "Well now what?" Lucas asked. He turned back to Raven. "We can't just wait here for Slade to come take you back."

"He's not," Raven said, stepping away from Lucas.

"No, Lucas is right," Robin said. "Slade wouldn't do this unless it was a part of some plan."

Beast Boy chimed in, "Where was the mansion? Can you lead us there?"

"Yeah, we can take Slade down now," Cyborg said.

"He will never harm my friends or our city again!" Starfire added.

The Titans nodded in agreement, looking to Raven to lead the way. "No," Raven said. "He doesn't want to do any more damage to the city anyway. He's leaving."

"To go to another city," Beast Boy argued. "He's not going to suddenly be a good guy!"

"He's changed," Raven insisted. "He _let me go._ " It wouldn't make sense, Raven knew. Slade _was_ still the same person, but he was also really leaving. He was going to find his son. He was trying, and that is something new. Raven looked between the angry faces of her friends - they were ready for a fight, no matter what she had to say.

Beast Boy took a step away from Raven, glaring at her in horror. "He brainwashed you."

Raven glared back at Beast Boy. "I am not brainwashed, Beast Boy."

"That's exactly what someone brainwashed would say," Beast Boy pointed out.

Starfire frowned, reaching out and taking Raven's hand. "My dear friend, Slade is not someone who changes. He is - he is a monster."

"Alright, alright," Robin said, stepping between Raven and the others. "I think we should let Raven get some rest. We can figure out what to do later. C'mon."

The rest of the team quieted down, and Lucas nodded. "We'll talk soon?"

"I'll come by later this week," Raven promised.

Robin held led the way into the hall, shutting the door behind them. "Are you okay?" Robin asked. "For real?"

"I am," Raven replied.

Robin nodded. "Alright. You know I'm here if you need anything though."

"Thank you," Raven said.

Robin lingered. "I am glad you're home."

"Me too," Raven replied. "Thank you for … delaying things in there. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I know Slade won't harm this city again."

Beast Boy came out of the living room to join them in the hall. "Hey - we were talking. Rae, I know you said you are sure he let you go, but just incase, maybe stay in the safe room tonight?"

Robin frowned, but nodded in agreement. "I would feel better knowing you were safe," Robin said.

"...fine," Raven said. "Only for tonight."

* * *

Beast Boy and Robin led the way down to the saferoom. They had built the room almost two years ago now in preparation for Trigon's attack. The walls matched the blue markings of all Cyborg's inventions, but each wall had it's own sigil markings to defend the room from non-human or mystical attackers. While the safe room was ready to defend anyone from any attacker, so far Raven was the only one who had to use it.

Beast Boy held out his hand to Raven. "I can stay if you want."

"I'll be okay," Raven replied. "Slade isn't going to come for me."

"You really aren't scared?" Beast Boy asked.

"He doesn't scare me," Raven said.

"Okay," Beast Boy said. "Well, we'll see you later?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Raven promised. Beast Boy nodded and left the room, with Robin behind him.

"See ya tomorrow, Rae," Robin said, shutting the doors behind him.

Raven crossed her legs in the air, closing her eyes to relax. An alarm rang through the tower, and Raven heard the slams of metal falling over the door and air vents. "No," Raven said, flying over to the rooms communication system. "What's going on? Why is the quarantine protocol initiated?"

"Sorry Raven," Beast Boy's voice came back. "We aren't letting Slade get away with this."

"He _let me go_ ," Raven repeated. Her fist pounded into the metal over the doorway. "Don't do this."

"It isn't just about you," Robin replied. "He's destroyed too much, Raven. He needs to be stopped."

"He is stopping," Raven argued. "If you fight him now, he might change his mind. Just let him go." She lifted her hand, trying to use magic to pull the door open.

"We can't take that risk," Robin replied. "I'm sorry."

Her magic faded from the doorway. It made no difference, she was trapped. "Let me out," Raven demanded.

"No can do, Raven," Beast Boy replied.

"Let me out!" Raven repeated. There was only silence on the other side of the door. "Robin?" Raven called through the communication system, but no response came.

Raven slammed her fist against the metal doors again, then tried to phase herself through the wall. She fell to her knees, breathing heavily. "Okay," Raven whispered. She ran her fingers through her hair and looked around the empty room. "Okay, new plan," she told herself. She hoovered in the air and closed her eyes, muttering her mantra: "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

A large black raven flew away of Raven's body, and her soul-self flew out of the tower and over the city. She flew over the forest, and then through the front door of the mansion. The mansion had it's usual darkness, with the curtains blocking out the evening light and the lights left off. Raven's spirit flew through the halls, moving through the door into Slade's study. Slade was seated on the sofa in front of the unlit fire, with his elbow propped up on the armrest and holding his head.

"Slade," Raven's voice called. Slade jumped up, looking around the room.

"Raven?" Slade replied. "You came back?"

"I'm not really here," Raven replied. "I'm at the Tower, but the Titans - they're coming. It's my fault, I didn't know they wouldn't listen."

Slade sunk back down into the couch. "That'll be fine," Slade said. "I can handle them."

"But you don't have to," Raven said. "Just go find your son. Get out of here."

"I'll be fine," Slade replied. "You should get your soul back to your body. It's not safe to astral project so far."

"Don't fight them," Raven said. "I told them you were leaving. You have a chance to go, or make peace. No one has to get hurt."

"Go," Slade replied.

Raven's soul-self flew back to the tower, rejoining her body. She fell to the floor of the safe room, exhausted from having her soul so far away. "I have to get up," Raven told herself, pulling herself to her feet. "I have to get out of here."

Starfire flew above the trees, scanning for any sign of Slade's hideout, while Cyborg scanned the land from below. Beast Boy was in the form of a wolf, trying to pick up a scent, and Robin moved from branch to branch. Starfire flew ahead, then doubled back towards the group.

"I found something," Starfire announced, landing in front of Robin. The others gathered around. "There's a large mansion up ahead, it looks to be abandoned from the outside."

Beast Boy gave the order: "Let's go."


	17. The Battle

Starfire flew above the trees, scanning for any sign of Slade's hideout, while Cyborg scanned the land from below. Beast Boy was in the form of a wolf, trying to pick up a scent, and Robin moved from branch to branch. Starfire flew ahead, then doubled back towards the group.

"I found something," Starfire announced, landing in front of Robin. The others gathered around.

"There's a large mansion up ahead, it looks to be abandoned from the outside."

"That has to be it," Beast Boy replied, shifting into human form.

Robin nodded. "Stay quiet, and stay low. We don't want to give away that we found him."

"Do you think he expected Raven to hide him?" Starfire asked.

"Well, she did," Beast Boy said. "She wouldn't tell us where he was." Robin and Cyborg glared at Beast Boy until he shrugged. "What? It's true," Beast Boy added.

"She's had a rough few months," Robin said.

"Yeah," Cyborg said. "She was stuck with that maniac for a long time. Cut her some slack, man."

Robin knelt on the dirt, pointing towards the front door. "Here's the plan."

* * *

Wintergreen stood in the library, putting out the remains of fire in the fireplace. "No need for you anymore," Wintergreen mumbled. "Back to letting this large room go to waste."

He crossed the room towards the window, pulling the thick curtains shut. Outside, the snow still covered the ground. The nearby trees were bare. Wintergreen looked out at the woods for a moment when a gleam of blue caught his eye. Squinting into the trees, he could just make out the sight of Cyborg, crouching in some decaying shrubbery.

"Oh goodness," Wintergreen mumbled. He hurried out of the library and up the stairs towards the study. "Master," Wintergreen said, barely announcing himself before pushing open the door.

Slade was leaning back on the sofa, his eye closed.

"What is it?" Slade asked.

Wintergreen opened Slade's desk drawer, pulling out a brass spyglass and moved to the window. He used the spyglass to scan the trees until he found them. The four Titans crouched together near the edge of the forest, their heads low in discussion. "We have some guests," Wintergreen said, holding the spyglass out for Slade to look himself.

"I already know," Slade said without moving. "Let them come."

"Let them…?"

"I can handle them," Slade replied.

"Sir, with all do respect, you are still injured from the last time you fought the Titans. Please, Master Slade, you are too old for this," Wintergreen replied.

"And what do you suggest?" Slade asked. "I politely request them to leave?"

"You're leaving anyway. You are going to Tibet," Wintergreen reminded him. "Let's just leave now."

"They won't let me retire," Slade said. "Robin won't give up trying to find me." Slade sat up. "Let them come."

Wintergreen returned the spyglass to it's place in the desk. "Very well, sir. I will prepare the house for an attack."

"Do what you will," Slade replied. "I will be here."

* * *

The Titans waited until the sun was completely gone over the horizon. In the shadows of the night, they crept towards the front door together. Beast Boy went in first, crawling under the crack of the door as a firefly and then flying up, landing window to the left of the door. Robin watched the small green firefly crawl around the glass, looking around the room, then the firefly lit up, signaling that it was safe to enter. Cyborg went to work first, kneeling down and changing his fingertips into a lock pick, working inside the front door until it clicked open.

Robin pushed the door open, taking the first step inside. The rest of the team assembled behind him, carefully stepping forward.

"This place is way creepy," Beast Boy whispered, looking around the dark hallway.

Robin nodded. "It's exactly what I would expect from Slade. Keep moving."

Cyborg had a scanner open on his arm. "Someone's upstairs," Cyborg whispered. "Two people."

Robin nodded, taking the first steps forward. The Titans moved slowly, but the stairs still creaked as they moved up to the second floor. They came to the first door of the hallway, and Robin stood to the side of it, nodding to Starfire. He mouthed: "One, two, three."

Starfire grabbed the handle and let out a loud scream. Her body stiffened, and her fingers grasped the doorknob harder until Robin pulled out his staff, smacking her with it to knock her backwards.

"Starfire?" Robin asked. He knelt down beside her as Cyborg scanned the door.

"It was rigged to electrocute anyone trying to open it," Cyborg said. He knelt down next to Starfire. "She's breathing," he announced. "But she'll need medical attention."

The door was kicked open from the inside, sending explosives towards the team. Robin covered himself and Starfire with his cape, while Beast Boy assumed the form of a bird, dodging the fire. Cyborg ducked against the wall for cover.

"Take Starfire and go!" Robin yelled to Cyborg. He drew out his staff and turned, attacking the figure in the doorway.

Each move Robin made was countered perfectly, knocking him back in the hall just as Starfire was being picked up.

"You okay, man?" Cyborg yelled.

"Go!" Robin replied. Cyborg nodded and ran down the stairs with Starfire in his arms.

An older man stepped forward from the doorway with a gun in each hand. "You can walk away from this," the man offered.

"Who are you?" Robin asked. "Where's Slade?"

"I'll only give one more chance," the man replied.

"I'll have to pass," Robin said. He charged forward with his staff raised.

Beast Boy landed at the other end of the hallway and shifted back to human form. He looked back, towards the sounds of Robin fighting, but he couldn't turn around. He could smell Slade just on the other side of the door ahead of him.

In the form of a fly, Beast Boy flew threw the crack atop the door. He spotted Slade sitting in an armchair, staring into the fire. Even in his own house, he was masked and in uniform. He held a manila folder in his hand, gently placing a page into the flames.

Beast Boy landed directly beside Slade and shifted into a lion, paw already raised. Slade hardly had time to turn as Beast Boy struck him, claws out, across the side, knocking Slade out of his chair.

Slade rolled across the floor, propping himself up on his elbow while his hand clenched over the fresh wound. "I have to say, Beast Boy, I am surprised to see you."

Beast Boy stood before him as a human. "You shouldn't be." Beast Boy said, kicking Slade in the gut.

Slade chuckled, pushing himself up. "I thought for sure Robin would be the only one to make it this far."

"I'm tired of you terrorizing my city," Beast Boy said. Shifted into an ape, lifting Slade to throw him against the wall. Then, he changed back into a human. "I'm tired of you trying to brainwash my friends."

"Is that what this is about?" Slade asked. He laughed. "I suppose it would hurt you the most. Terra chose me over you. Then Raven did the same, didn't she? I noticed she's not fighting alongside the Titans today."

"Shut up," Beast Boy yelled. "Get up and fight like a man."

Slade stood up, still clutching his bleeding side. "You're hardly a man," Slade replied.

Beast Boy charged forward as a rhino, and Slade jumped aside, allowing him to crash into a wall.

"What's the matter?" Beast Boy asked, brushing drywall and insulation off his nose. "Scared to fight me?"

"Nonsense," Slade replied. "You just aren't worth my energy."

Beast Boy's face grew darker with anger. "Then that's your mistake." Beast Boy shifted into a large bear, swiping Slade aside. Then as a ram, he charged forward, his horns pointed toward Slade. Instead, Beast Boy collided with a wall of black light.

"Enough!" Raven appeared in the side of the room, her blue hood up and her eyes glowing.

Beast Boy shifted into human form, his eyes wide. "Raven…"

"Get out of here," Raven demanded. "Now!"

Beast Boy shook his head, wiping the disappointment from his expression and replacing it with anger. "You're defending him?"

"I told you not to come here," Raven replied.

Beast Boy's face filled with rage. "You-!" he started, but his sentence fell short, and Beast Boy fell forward onto his knees. He held his arms in front of his face. "No!" Beast Boy shouted. His pupils dilated, and his arms tripled inside. Green fur broke through his uniform. "Raven, I can't -" Beast Boy choked out, but the rest of his sentence was swallowed by a loud roar coming from his own throat.

Slade backed up, his eyes wide in horror as a Beast stood before him.

"Stay back," Raven warned Slade. "He isn't in full control."

"Is that an ongoing problem with your team?" Slade retorted. Raven spared a second to glare at him; now wasn't the time to be making jokes about Terra.

Raven stepped forward, reaching out her hand to Beast Boy, who now stood three times her size. His small, shadowed eyes stared her down, baring his fangs in her face. "It's me," Raven said quietly. "You can control this. Come back."

With a growl, Beast Boy swung, and Raven blocked the shot. Slade raised his fist, ready to attack, but Raven's magic pushed Slade back against the wall. "Just go," Raven replied. "I'll handle him."

"I'm not going anywhere," Slade said.

Beast Boy charged forward towards Slade, and Raven surrounded Beast Boy's entire body with magic, slamming him against the wall. When Beast Boy roared again, she slammed him once more, harder this time, and then threw him across the room into the other wall. His shape shrunk back into his human form, with his clothes torn, and Raven lowered him gently to the ground.

"Is he…" Slade began.

"No," Raven replied. "He's fine. Just unconscious."

"Are you-"

"I'll be fine," Raven replied. "I'll get him out of here."

"You may wish to collect Robin as well," Wintergreen said from the doorway.

"I can't hold them all off forever," Raven replied. She hesitated, then added, "and I don't want to."

"We will be out of your hair soon enough," Wintergreen promised.

Slade turned to Raven, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Raven, I…"

Beast Boy groaned, and Raven pulled away. "We should go. Stay safe. Stay out of trouble. Please."

Slade nodded as Raven moved over to Beast Boy. She lifted her cape, and surrounded herself and Beast Boy with her magic. Together, they disappeared from the room as the shadow of a Raven flew through the wall.

"What will we do with Robin?" Wintergreen asked.

"I am sure you'll find he is gone," Slade replied. "Raven wouldn't have left him behind."

"Very well," Wintergreen said. "We should pack. For Tibet."

"I will," Slade replied.


	18. Is This Home Reprise

By mid-March, the snow had begun to melt. The Jump City schools, minus the already canceled Waterfront Academy, were hosting outdoor events again, everything from sports championships to family barbeques to kick off the spring season. Storefronts were planting tulips and daisies outside their windows.

The library had a large bright sign, mostly green with flowers drawn around the edges, that read: "Spring Cleaning? Drop off your lightly used books!" Below, someone had taped a flyer for a local service project, planting trees in Verdosa Park downtown. Raven pushed open the library door, stepping from the breezy street. The library was warm, dimly-lit, and welcoming as usual, but behind the counter was an older woman, with her hair tied back and wrinkles around her eyes.

Raven walked up to the counter, placing, _Memiors of Cleopatra_ down on the desk. "Hello," Raven said.

"Return or renew?" the woman replied without looking up.

"I was actually looking for Lucas. Do you know when he will be in?" Raven asked.

The woman turned around, shuffling towards the back room and disappearing behind the door. A moment later, Lucas appeared, carrying a large box of books. When he saw Raven, he dropped the box on the nearest counter.

"You're back!" Lucas said. "You never texted me."

"I didn't know what to say," Raven replied. "I didn't want to- I don't want to talk about when I was gone."

"Right," Lucas said. "Yeah, that makes sense."

They stood in silence for a moment. Raven picked up the copy of Cleopatra. "I finished your book."

"Awesome! What'd you think?" Lucas replied. His enthusiasm just slightly over the top.

"It was great," Raven said. "Very historically accurate but also exciting and captivating. I loved her relationship with Caesar."

Lucas grinned. "Right? And her wit, just overall. Hiding in a carpet like that?"

"Exactly," Raven agreed.

"We should - I mean, would you want to get coffee or something? Talk a bit about the book?" Lucas asked.

"Sure," Raven said. "That would be .. fun."

"Three o'clock sound good?" Lucas asked.

"Perfect," Raven replied.

They met outside a local cafe, taking one of the outdoor tables. Lucas went inside to order the drinks, getting himself an iced coffee and Raven a hot tea. They sat on opposites sides of the small, round cafe table.

"You don't like iced tea in the summer?" Lucas said, placing her steaming cup in front of her.

"It's just not as good," Raven replied.

Lucas chuckled as he sat down. They both looked out on the street. "I should have asked you out sooner," Lucas said after a moment. "I wanted to since the day I met you."

Raven sat, staring blankly in response.

"I knew who you were," Lucas admitted. "It was my first day working at the library, and it was just a silly summer job last year, but I stayed on during the school year just because I liked talking to you. Which ended up sucking because you weren't around… - I mean, obviously it sucked way worse for you - with the whole - uh, yeah. I just mean I really wanted to get to know you better."

"I liked talking to you too," Raven replied.

"I'm glad you're back," Lucas said.

Raven took a deep breath, nodding. "I missed my friends. And you. And my home…"

"You say that like there's a but coming," said Lucas.

"I spend a lot of time in the tower avoiding Beast Boy and his jokes, and Starfire and her …. Activities. Robin and his vigorous training schedule. Helping Cyborg with his car."

"I thought you liked helping Cyborg?" Lucas asked.

"I do," Raven said. "I just - when I was with Slade, I wasn't… it doesn't make sense."

"Just say what you're thinking," Lucas said. He reached across the table, placing his hand on hers.

"I felt like I wasn't babysitting a group of children," Raven replied. "I love the team, and I'm not going anywhere, but I had so much more time to focus on what I wanted. And with the team, there's _good_ and _evil_ and no inbetween, and I was the same way. I never considered that Slade might have a good reason for doing what he does."

"And does he?" Lucas replied. He sat back, lifting the straw of his iced coffee to his lips.

"Yes." Raven looked up at Lucas.

"Just because he had good motives doesn't make his actions okay," Lucas said. "He's still a bad guy. He still hurt a lot of people."

"I know," Raven replied. "But he's going to stop. He wants to be with his family."

"You said you had more time for what you wanted," Lucas said. "What is it that you want?"

Raven thought for a moment. "I want to learn. To read. I want to help people."

"You help people every day as a Titan," Lucas pointed out.

"But the problems come back. How many times can we just hand a criminal over to the police? Working with Slade, I got to the root of the problem and - I think I solved it."

"When you said you didn't want to talk about it…" Lucas said slowly. "Was it because it was horrible, or was it because it wasn't?"

Raven stared at her mug, which was almost empty now. "Because it wasn't."

Lucas nodded. "So, Slade - _thee_ Slade, isn't so bad after all?"

"He's just… misunderstood," Raven said carefully.

Lucas smirked. "That's cliche."

Raven rolled her eyes. "I just…. I understand where he is coming from."

Lucas leaned towards her, his eyes soft with sympathy. "It's okay if you don't hate him," Lucas said. "You aren't obligated to."

"Aren't I, though?" Raven asked, peering up at him.

Lucas shook his head. "People are more complex than that. You can't force people to change, and you can't dedicate your life to fixing people or helping people that don't want your help, but you can like someone and enjoy their company even if they're bad people. You can like a person and hate what they do. Just make sure you put yourself first."

"What do you mean?" Raven asked.

"I mean - be friends with this guy if you want to be, but don't _expect_ him to change. You say that he's going to give up this life of crime, and that's great, but he might not. Just put yourself first. If you enjoy spending time with him, go for it, but if it gets to be too much, you don't have to _save_ him or whatever. You can just walk away."

They sat quietly again for a moment, with Raven staring back into her cup of tea. "Thank you," Raven said. She glanced up at Lucas, who was staring ahead at the street. His eyes followed the bus that drove past them, making a turn at the corner. Then Lucas spoke: "I am going to university in Gotham in the fall."

Raven looked up, her eyes wide. "That's great. Congratulations."

"There's…. a bit more," Lucas said. "With me moving to Gotham for school, and my brother over in Star City for work, my parents are thinking about moving down to somewhere…quieter. Somewhere with less superhero battling and attacks, you know? So… come the fall, I won't be back here much."

"Oh," Raven replied. "Well, the Titans go to conferences in Metropolis with the Justice League every once in awhile so… if I'm in the area I can stop by GU to say hi?"

Lucas smiled. "I'd love that."

"I'm sorry I wasn't around all year," Raven said.

Lucas nodded. "Not your fault but, I did miss you. And I'll miss you when I'm over in Gotham. Expect postcards - okay?"

"I'll keep my eye out for them," Raven said. Lucas finished his iced coffee, and sat watching the leftover ice cubes shrink in the heat.

"This isn't goodbye, right?" Lucas asked.

"No," Raven replied. "Summer is long and I'll be around for book recommendations."

"I'll see you then," Lucas said. He stood up, and Raven stood as well, leaving her empty mug on the table. Lucas opened his arms and Raven stepped forward, giving him a warm hug.

"See you soon," Raven promised. Lucas walked up the street, turning to glance back at the corner and waving one more time before he made the turn and disappeared around the block.


	19. Finale

Raven landed in front of the familiar oak doorway and lowered her hood. Under her arm, she held a yellow envelope. First, she knocked. When no response came, Raven turned the brass doorknob, pushing the door open. She allowed the loud creak to announce her presence in the home. The ambience of the forest faded as she entered. The foyer was as dark as ever, with the lights off and curtains drawn. The paintings had been removed from the walls, leaving them bare. The rug was missing as well, exposing the hardwood floors. Raven reached out towards where the mahogany end table held the a candelabrum, but she found the table, with all its contents, were gone as well.

"Hello?" Raven called out. She made her way up the stairs, first checking Slade's study. The room was empty. It's bookshelves still lined the walls, but their shelves were bare. The fireplace still held the ashes from their last fire.

Raven wandered through the halls, opening doors that she hadn't even touched in the months she had lived here. Eventually, she came to her own door - the room that Slade had assigned to her. Raven pushed it open, surprised to find the room exactly as she had left it. The bed was made, with the curtains open. The wardrobe and desk were all in place. The only thing that was different was a single envelope atop her otherwise empty desk. Written in scratchy cursive with blotchy blank ink was one word: _Raven._

Raven pried the envelope open, reading the short letter inside.

 _Raven,  
_ _I left your room for you, should you ever find yourself in need of it.  
_ _I also left the library untouched, should you ever find yourself in want of it.  
_ _Wishing you well,  
_ _S._

Raven pocketed the letter, closing the door to her room behind her, and made her way down to the library. As Slade promised, it was untouched. Raven collected wood from a pile out back and returned to the library to start the fireplace. Once the fire was going, she took Slade's letter out of her pocket and placed it in the flames, watching it be consumed.

She could feel the emptiness of the house around her, even as she stood in the room full of books. The fire burned out on it's own, and Raven sat in her usual chair, with the book she had been in the middle of on her lap. When the fire died, Raven stood up, pulling her hood over her head, and she flew back to the tower.

* * *

The summer came to an end, and by late September, the trees had begun to yellow. Slade sat in the bedroom of a rather upscale hotel just outside of Jump City. His bags were packed and waiting by the door, but he stood in front of the desk looming over the paperwork in front of him. He pulled open the drawer for a pen, but only found an untouched copy of The Holy Bible. He crossed the room, picking up the cheap hotel pen from the coffee table, where it sat on top of a pile of advertisements for tourists traps. Before he could return to the desk, there was a knock at the hotel door.

Slade crossed the room silently, unzipping his bag to withdraw a small gun. He positioned himself beside the doorway before leaning over, pressing his good eye to the peephole. Out in the hallway, he could see only the top of a head with blue hair. Slade pushed the gun away as Raven knocked again.

"A moment," Slade called. He dug through his bags, messing up the piles of neatly folded clothes, until he found his mask and uniform. He had pulled them on in less two minutes, and then he stepped to the door, peering out through the peephole again. Raven had stepped back, leaning against the opposite wall, with her arms crossed in front of her.

Slade lifted the chain off the door, and then twisted the lock. He pushed the door ajar and backed away, leaving Raven to let herself in.

"How did you find me?" Slade asked, as Raven stepped into the room. She shut the door behind her, relocking it with her magic without turning around.

"Not many people fly from Jump City to Tibet," Raven replied. She glanced to the bags. "Looks like you're all ready to go."

" _Why_ did you find me?" Slade asked.

"To say goodbye," Raven replied.

"You could have been followed."

"I wasn't," Raven said.

"It was still foolish of you to come," Slade said. "You should go."

"I will," Raven replied. "This is for you." She held out a yellow envelope to him. "It's everything the Titans have on Jericho."

Slade took the folder and opened it. "Thank you," Slade said quietly. "This helps a lot."

"I know it does," Raven said.

"I -" Slade started, but he stopped himself. He placed the folder on the desk among the other papers.

"What's wrong?" Raven asked.

"I am sorry," Slade replied. "For… well, kidnapping you, I guess."

"I came consensually," Raven replied.

"Barely, Raven," Slade said. "I know that you would do anything for your friends and that's not something I intend to take advantage of again."

"Well," Raven said. She hesitated. "Maybe you should." She extracted another envelope that she had tucked into a pocket in her cape. "Doing anything for my friends means finding out when they are leaving for Tibet. It means giving them everything I have that might help them with their mission. It means using the Titans tracking system to find out what school their daughter was transferred to." She held out the new envelope.

Slade stared at it. "You found her?"

"Yes," Raven replied. "And I'll keep her safe until you're back. Take care of Jericho first, protect him and bring him home. I can watch out for Rose until you are ready."

"So, we are friends now?" Slade asked, straightening up to tower over her.

"I don't hate you," Raven replied.

"That is a start, then," Slade said.

"When you find yourself back in Jump City, let me know," Raven said. She started to head out the door, but then turned back to add: "Let me know _without_ triggering the Tower alarm system."

"I won't be doing anything illegal once I find my son," Slade said.

Raven nodded in reply. "That's good."

Slade turned around and sighed. "In fact…I don't think I'll need this anymore."

Slade reached his arm up to his face, pulling off his mask. Dark gray hair fell out from the back of his head. He placed the mask down on the hotel bed and turned to face Raven. She stood, silent, taking in his face. He had wrinkles around his soft blue eye and gray stubble across a strong, square jawline. His lips were dry and slightly cracked. He wore an eyepatch over his bad eye, and the top of his hair fell gently over his forehead. His skin was light, but rough.

Raven stepped back, looking over him closely. "Not what I expected," Raven said.

"Not the first time I failed to meet your expectations," Slade replied. Slade stepped closer to Raven, extending a hand to her. "Thank you, Raven."

"Stay safe," Raven said, shaking his hand.

"I won't die," Slade promised.

Slade moved around her, packing up the papers he still had around the desk. He lifted the pen he acquired earlier and made a few notes, putting the papers away.

"Have things been alright with the Titans?" Slade asked.

"Yes," Raven said. "It's been an … adjustment, but they forgive me for helping you. Beast Boy is still Beast Boy, but he's coming around too."

"I'm sure Robin isn't happy with you either," Slade replied. He smirked as he said it. The thought of Robin being frustrated was still enough to amuse him.

"He understood faster than I thought he would," Raven said. "We understand each other, he and I."

"And what about you?" Slade asked. "Things are alright with you?"

Raven nodded. "I'm thinking about working with the people we arrest, one on one."

"Why?" Slade asked.

"To find out why they do what they do. Help them, if I can," Raven said.

"So you want to be a therapist?" Slade asked.

"No," Raven replied. "Just...get to know them. See why they do what they do."

Slade nodded. "I think you'd be good at it. You should know, most of the criminals in this city are beyond help. Dr. Light is crazy. Brother Blood is too convinced of his beliefs... although his students you might have sway with. You'd have better luck with Jinx, Mammoth… oh, Red X has been trying to get out of the business since he got in. Not Robin, the other one."

"Do you all talk to each other or something?" Raven asked.

"We have meetups," Slade replied. When Raven rolled her eyes, Slade added: "That wasn't a joke, we really do. First Tuesday every other month. Go over plans, try to coordinate or higher each other for specific tasks. We're very organized."

"Oh," Raven said. "Wow, we had no idea."

This time, Slade laughed. "Yes, we know you had no idea. It's a bit of an ongoing joke."

Slade put the last of his papers into his bags. Raven nodded and Slade stepped forward. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's time I go. Be well, Raven."

"You too," Raven replied.

With a gentle squeeze, Slade released her shoulder. He lifted his bags, pulling open the door to the hotel room. He glanced over the room one more time, checking for anything he may have forgotten. Then he turned to Raven, giving a final nod and he turned, bag behind him, and left.


End file.
